


The Wide and Open Road

by Biana_Delacroix



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Road Trips, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-26
Updated: 2014-09-11
Packaged: 2018-02-10 12:13:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 75,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2024736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Biana_Delacroix/pseuds/Biana_Delacroix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"My Dad used to say that a road trip is when you really got to know yourself and whoever you were with." Deciding she needs to get out of Mystic Falls for the summer, Caroline asks Klaus to take her on a drive across the country. It's a long way to go and a lot of time to spend together, and as the miles roll by Caroline starts to wonder if her and Klaus can stay 'just friends.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Get Out of this Town

**Author's Note:**

> I'm migrating this over from my FF.net account, it's the story of Klaus and Caroline on the Great American Road Trip. Set after season 4, this makes one important canon change: no pregnant Hayley. All else remains the same, with Klaus aiming to take control of the French Quarter away from Marcel, but without the factor of a child in the equation. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are property of Warner Brothers

_Let's get out of this town tonight_  
 _Nothing but dust in the shadows_  
 _Gone by morning light_  
 _Somewhere we won't ever get caught, ever be found_  
 _Baby, let's just get out of this town_

 

For once, Mystic Falls was silent.

That was the only thing she could think of, that the small town was finally _silent._ No vengeful ghosts trying to rip apart her friends. No witches crippling her from the inside out in retribution. Just a dark night, an empty street, and silence.

Caroline _hated_ it. Silence was what was left when the final door had slammed after her parents’ fights. Silence was the only thing that kept her company when her mom started working longer and longer hours, leaving her alone in an empty house. Silence was what she heard when she laughed too loudly and the cute boy she liked wasn’t even looking her way. Silence meant loneliness.

There’s just one problem with her analogy – Mystic Falls is silent, but she’s definitely not alone.

Turning her head slightly, she glanced at Klaus’ face, trying to make out what he was thinking. The horrors of the day were behind them and all that was left was an empty street and their respective cars which they had now arrived at. Things had thankfully been uneventful for them after the graduation ceremony, no hybrids had come after him and the witches hadn’t dared try anything against her again.

(Apparently, it was possible to be scared of Klaus even in death. And though she’d never admit it to anybody _ever_ , the thought of someone that intimidating walking arm in arm with her gives her this little tingle, though she’s not totally sure what it means. Allure of darkness, she supposed.)

Klaus looked introspective; he was calm for what she thinks is the first time since she’s known him. Maybe it’s the warm summer air, the deserted streets, or possibly ( _probably_ ) it’s because of her. Once they came up to her car, there’s nothing more they can really do, just idle around awkwardly until he finally decided to break the ice.

“Well sweetheart, I suppose this is where I say my proper goodbye.” He idly drummed his fingers on the top of her car, looking unsure of himself for once. A formal ‘goodbye’ is somewhat out of his depth, and it’s not something he’d ever anticipated having to say to her.  So wrapped up was he in his inner musings that he almost missed the little flinch she gave at his words.

“Caroline, are you alright?”

Caroline was absolutely sure that the Klaus standing in front of her was the real thing, she didn’t care how good Silas was as getting in people’s heads, there was no way he would stand around in a football field and make a joke about the subtlety of her graduation invitation. Still, the encounter she had shared with him in the woods rang clear in her head.

“Sorry, it’s just… what you just said, about saying goodbye, it sort of reminded me – well , it reminded me of something Silas said,” she admitted nervously, noting the way his fists clenched.

“And what exactly did he say?”

“Well, he was pretending to be you,” she said, and Klaus inhaled sharply, eyes narrowing, “and he gave me this speech about how he never intended to leave without saying goodbye and wanted me to come with him to New Orleans. It was totally unnecessary, he just wanted to know where Bonnie was so I don’t even know why he bothered…” she trailed off, trying to sound nonchalant, but now she was having trouble meeting Klaus in the eye. As much as she didn’t want to admit it (to him, to herself) those words had left an impression.

“For what it’s worth, Silas spent a good a deal of time in my head so I suppose it would be only natural that he caught on to a few of my…inner sentiments” he said softly, confirming her suspicions.

_‘Go figure. Silas had been telling the truth.’_

“But I meant what I said; I know that you’re probably not ready to leave.”

She nodded absentmindedly, a rote reaction to anyone who brought up the subject of leaving Mystic Falls. It was something that would happen eventually, but not now, definitely not now…right?

_‘My friends are here. I’m needed here. I have to stay here.’_

Caroline felt the warmth of him standing close in front of her, and suddenly it becomes a little too much. “So, I guess it’s off to New Orleans then!” she chirped, trying to lighten the air. He smirked, darting his eyes away and probably imagining a town full of people and music that was definitely never this quiet.

“I do have a kingdom to reclaim,” he said with a smirk. “I suppose all that’s left to say is…goodbye, Caroline.”

She wondered if he was going to kiss her cheek again (so softly, so sweetly,) but their pleasant conversation and her good mood seemed to have emboldened him, and he tugged her forward into his warm embrace, pressing a short kiss on her hair before letting her go. There’s a little pang in her chest as she realized that they probably won’t be doing _this_ for a long time, no more banter or quiet moments with the one person she was slowly beginning to understand. She was losing a friend – or something of the sort. Tyler would come back, Klaus would concentrate on whatever the hell he had going on in Louisiana, and that was how she knew it should be, but that doesn’t help the sinking feeling in her stomach. 

He opened her car door for her and she got in robotically, looking back up at him through the window once it had closed. For a split second he stood there, taking her in, and she knew the brief look of regret in his eyes mirrored her own. A second later, he was gone.

She should drive home, hug her mom, call her friends for an update on the Silas problem, make sure Bonnie was alright after using all that magic, and then get into bed and sleep for at least twelve hours. Then in the morning, she could find worry about finding some way to contact Tyler and letting him know he could come home.

That’s what she _should_ have done. Instead, as she sat in her car going over that short to-do list there’s no mistaking the slow creep of anxiety as she realized that all she wants to do is be far away from here, from all of this. She had completed her (less than ideal) senior year, she had prom and graduation, she made the memories she wanted, but what the hell was she supposed to do now? Figure out a way to live as close to a human life as possible in Mystic Falls, watching and waiting for the next disaster to strike? A vampire has forever, but staring into the black abyss that was her future, she’s scared and restless and all she knew is that for the first time, her much beloved small town felt absolutely _suffocating._

* * *

 

 

_“Hey Bonnie, it’s me! Listen, I know you’re probably exhausted from last night but I just wanted to see how you were doing, or at least know that you’re okay so just call me back as soon as you get this, alright? Love you!”_

She hung up the phone in frustration, hoping Bonnie at least responded to this voicemail if she couldn’t pick up her phone or reply to one of Caroline’s texts. This was supposed to be the first day of the rest of her life, but so far, the ‘make-sure-everybody’s-fine-and-dandy’ checklist was off to a flying stop. As she drove up the driveway to the Salvatore Boarding House she spotted Jeremy Gilbert sitting out front, fingering a piece of paper.

Wait.

_JEREMY GILBERT?!_

Her car screeched to a halt and she was in front of him within the next second, absolutely stunned to see him. For a wild moment she panicked, wondering if something was wrong with the veil, if the witch ghosts were back and she was halfway through mentally planning a barricade in the mansion before she realized Jeremy was trying to get her attention.

“Caroline – CAROLINE! You can calm down, everything’s cool.” He was a little too stiff to be reassuring, and upon further inspection, Caroline noticed that his smile was forced and his eyes were blank. Then again, he had been dead, _dead-dead,_ so she decided not to make any presumptions.

“Jeremy…how are you still here? How can I see you if you’re still–”

‘I’m not dead, Caroline. I’m alive, actually alive,” he said quickly, sounding relieved as if he didn’t believe it himself.

“But how…”

“It was all Bonnie,” he said with a small, proud smile. “She did a spell and she was…incredible. So incredible.” His voice trailed off into a whisper and he averted his eyes, fiddling with the paper he was holding. After a moment, he continued. “I was all ready to go back, I wrote this letter for Elena and everything, but Bonnie, she just wouldn’t give up,” he said in a small voice, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Finally overcoming her shock, Caroline let out a short laugh of joy before throwing her arms around Jeremy and giving him a tight hug. He looked a little dazed as she pulled back but it just made her giggle, for once, something _good_ had happened.

“So is Bonnie here?! Oh my god, that’s why she hasn’t been returning my calls, she’s probably so exhausted, but I just need to check up on her, I can’t believe she actually managed to–”

“Actually, Bonnie’s gone,” said Jeremy, his voice thick. “For the summer,” he added quickly, “she went with her mom; they had a lot to talk about with the expression magic and everything.” He was looking anywhere but at Caroline, and she figured that it had been a difficult night for him, but she didn’t get why he seemed so down. _‘Probably sad that he doesn’t get to spend more time with Bonnie right away.’_

It also dawned on her that Bonnie had left without saying goodbye and that saddened her immensely. She wished she could’ve given her one last hug, or told her how amazing she was, but she reasoned that she’d have the chance once her friend came back. The past year hadn’t been easy for Bonnie, Caroline reminded herself.

“It’ll be fine Jeremy; the important thing is that you’re back! Congratulations!” she said brightly.

Jeremy managed a small smile at her enthusiasm. Before she could question him further, the front door of the mansion swung open to reveal Damon and Elena.

“Jesus Barbie, could you keep it down? Little Gilbert here can’t be seen by anybody in town due to the small fact that most of them were at his funeral, so we’re trying to keep his return to the land of the living under wraps.” Damon’s snark was in full form, but Caroline could hear just a hint of fondness in it and that probably had to do with the wide smile on Elena’s face as she stood next to her little brother. Damon came up behind Elena and settled a hand on the curve of her waist, and she leaned into his touch. It was so smooth and so natural that Caroline nearly missed it, but she noticed the matching looks of content on the two vampires’ faces and she realized that Elena had _finally_ made her choice.

As a vampire, with no sire bond and full control over her emotions, Elena had chosen Damon.  Caroline’s eyes widened as she connected the dots and met Elena’s wary gaze, who was awaiting her reaction, knowing her friend had caught the gesture of affection.  Caroline’s mind whizzed through every fight they had had back at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant and she knows that whatever fight she starts now (no matter how much she wants to) will just end in tears and a possibly irreparable friendship. She and Elena were still on rocky ground, every harsh word that had been said in the past few weeks still rang in her head and now that the danger with Silas had passed, she was acutely aware that Elena had never actually retracted any of her statements or offered an apology.  Still, everything in Caroline’s life was either changing or deteriorating and they had forever to kiss and make up, so for now, Caroline just managed a tight smile and resolved to at least try to be happy.

_‘God I wish Bonnie was here.’_

“Hey guys! So…this is incredible!” she said, gesturing towards Jeremy.

“Yeah, it really is,” said Elena, her love for her brother shining through. The four then lapsed into a brief awkward silence before Caroline felt the need to break it.

“So, did either of you guys get the chance to speak to Bonnie before she left? Did you manage to take care of Silas’ body?”

“I haven’t seen Bonnie since graduation,” said Elena sadly. “I guess she really needed a break after everything that happened.”

“As for Silas, my baby brother was tasked with dumping him at the bottom of a lake. Since there have been a stunning lack of panicked phonecalls, I’m going to assume he’s fine. He’s probably far off on the road by now,” added Damon.

Caroline frowned, “What do you mean ‘on the road’? Where’s he going?”

Damon and Elena exchanged a nervous look before Damon explained, “He’s just getting out of town for a bit.” Even the shameless Damon Salvatore now seemed very interested in the wood on one of the entrance pillars, and Caroline knew instantly why Stefan had left.

She didn’t blame him. Not really. She knew how difficult it would’ve been for him to live in the same house while his ex-girlfriend and brother carried on a relationship, and she could definitely understand the need to get out of Mystic Falls (it was beginning to press on her, more and more by the minute). She just wished he had said something to her, lately, she thought they had been becoming really good friends, so a quick goodbye would’ve been nice…

_‘He needs some space. That’s all. At least he had Lexi with him.’_

The awkward silence was back, which Caroline decided to save herself from. Damon and Elena had each other and Jeremy probably needed time with his sister, so there was nothing left for Caroline to do here except be the elephant in the room, reminding them of Stefan’s departure. Mumbling a quick excuse, she quickly sprinted to her car and took off a little too fast, hands clenched a little too tightly on the steering wheel for a girl who was supposed to be _happy_.

* * *

For a vampire, there are few things that are constant but whatever you can hold onto, you cling to tightly because it gives you a sense of normalcy, of comfort. And if there was anything that could be considered safe and constant in Caroline’s life, it was Matt Donovan.

As she pulled up to the Lockwood Mansion, Caroline’s mojo was back. While she hadn’t been able to personally check up on all of her friends, everything seemed to be fine was them, the rest of her life was waiting and she knew that she could count on her favourite football player to cheer her up. Hopefully, he would’ve had more luck with contacting Tyler. Granted, it hadn’t even been a full 24 hours, but she had thought that Tyler would’ve come running back at the first chance he had. For some reason, there was an odd feeling at the bottom of her stomach when she thought about Tyler returning permanently and it made her uneasy. Tyler was coming home. He was free. And she was happy for him, really, no one deserved to be banished from their childhood home, but she wondered where they stood now. Could they really just go back to being in a relationship with everything that had happened? She realized her mind was going into dangerous territory so she skipped into the colonial mansion, calling out for Matt.

“I’m up here Care!” yelled Matt, his voice drifting from one of the upstairs bedrooms. She sped up to the guest bedroom that Matt had taken over and was surprised to see clothes strewn over every surface, a large suitcase open on the bed with Matt dashing around, tossing things in.

“Uh…Matt? Planning on going somewhere?”

He turned around to face her and gulped nervously. “Actually, yeah. I’m leaving for the summer. Going on a trip. With Rebekah.”

“ _With who?!”_

“Rebekah. We were together yesterday and she saved me from that hunter’s trap and she said that she would show me all these places if I made it out alive. And then…after everything that happened, I decided to take her up on the offer.”

Before she can say anything stupid, Caroline bit her tongue and winced at the taste of blood. It hurt, but at least it distracted her from saying something too bitchy that she would regret.

(She’s quite proud of herself. Old, human Caroline would’ve just run her mouth. New, vampire Caroline had much more tact.)

“Are you out of your mind?!”

(Well, maybe not _that_ much tact.)

Matt frowned and took a deep breath. “Look, Care, I know she’s not everybody’s favourite person around here. But yesterday, she stayed with me through everything. She tried to distract me from what was happening, she took my place on that bomb and with everything that’s been happening with this cure, she’s been trying to be a better person. And she _means_ it. Besides, I’m not leaving forever, it’s just going to be for the summer. And honestly – I’m really looking forward to it.”

Caroline stayed silent through his speech, trying to process what was happening. Her reaction had been immediate but she stopped to think about what Matt was saying. ‘ _She’s been trying to be a better person.’_ Despite the mean girl power struggle the two blondes had had she remembers Rebekah cleaning up after a dance she never even got to attend. She remembers her helping subdue a raging Alaric. And most recently, she remembers Rebekah trying desperately to keep the shards of glass out of Caroline’s reach when she had been so intent on harming herself.

(She doesn’t even want to touch on the obvious parallels between Rebekah’s relationship with Matt and hers with Klaus.)

So, she decided to be a big girl and realized that she was indeed happy for Matt. He would finally be getting out of this town where he had suffered nothing but pain for two years. He deserved it.

“Well then… ‘bon voyage’,” she said with a soft smile. Matt grinned back before his expression turned serious.

“Caroline, there’s something you need to know – I heard from Tyler.”

“Oh my god! What’s happening, is he coming back?”

“Well, that’s the thing. It turns out he’s down in Florida, back where he met some werewolves that knew his Uncle Mason.  Over the past few months he’s become a part of their pack. Apparently it’s a big thing for werewolves – or hybrids, I guess. He told me he’s built up a whole life down there.”

Caroline sucked in a breath. She knew exactly where this was going. “He’s not coming back, is he?”

Matt nodded sympathetically. “He told me to tell you how much he loves you, but there are some things he needs to work through. It sounded like he was finally getting some closure on everything that happened here. But just because he can’t come back right away, doesn’t mean it’s forever, right? He said he’d probably be able to come back in a few months.”

She nodded absentmindedly, her thoughts a jumbled mess. She understood why Tyler hadn’t called her, another goodbye between them would’ve been too much. Was she sad? A little. But Tyler was happy, he had a family again, and that was something to celebrate. That family may not include her, but then, they had said their farewells, hadn’t they? Maybe it was time to move on.

(There’s a little part of her, the part that feels _guilty as sin_ that knows she’s feeling relief. Relief because she’s not feeling so tied down anymore. And she’s not exactly sure what she should do about that.)

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts and put a smile back on her face as she looked up to face Matt, who was watching her carefully. “It’s okay, Matt. He’s happy. Everyone’s found where they should be. At least for the summer.”

Matt came forward and wrapped her up in a warm hug. She held on tight for a moment and closed her eyes, remembering homecoming dances and summers swimming at the lake. Matt was apple pie and the high school dream, and now even he was moving on from this small town. And then, she knew she had to do the same.

“Have fun Matty. Bring me back a souvenir.”  She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek then stepped back, smiling one more time before leaving and bounding down the stairs. As she stepped through the front door she nearly ran smack into the blonde Original sister herself, who was holding two Styrofoam cups of coffee.

“Caroline, hi. What are you doing here?” Rebekah was the most pleasant she had ever been towards Caroline and it was almost startling to see how happy she was with Matt.

“I was just seeing how Matt was doing after yesterday. And saying goodbye, I guess.”

Rebekah tensed, as if expecting some sort of fight to erupt, but Caroline just nodded and walked past to her car. Before Rebekah could close the door though, she heard Caroline calling her.

“Hey, Rebekah? Take care of him, okay?”

Rebekah shot her a reassuring smile and Caroline climbed back into her car. She didn’t start the ignition right away, but sat there, building up courage for what she knew she had to do. It was the next natural step. But God, what kind of person was she? Shouldn’t she be focusing on taking care on the people left in Mystic Falls, helping them regroup after the hellish year they had had? But she didn’t feel free, she felt trapped, and it was giving her anxiety.

She can practically hear Stefan in her head, telling her to breathe, to calm down, because ‘ _everything’s going to be okay.’_ She wished he were here, he’d understand. He’d talk her through this. Her heart constricted as she properly felt the sting of his departure, and she wondered if she couldn’t track him down and join him. But that would be unfair to him, he had left for a reason. Everyone was leaving, one way or another.

Maybe it was time for Caroline to leave too.

And she knew just who to leave _with._

* * *

 

 

The sun had just dipped below the horizon by the time Caroline had properly made up her mind and found herself on the front steps of the Mikaelson mansion.

She took a few deep breaths before knocking softly, but was met with silence. She panicked momentarily; after all, why would he hang around this town, what if he had gotten in his car and driven straight back to New Orleans, what if she was too late…

As she raised her hand to knock again, the door flew open and Klaus stood on the other side, smirking.

“Took you long enough,” she said haughtily, if only to get some the arrogance off his face and give herself some comfort.

“Forgive me love, I knew it was you by your scent but I couldn’t for the life of me guess why you would be here, I expected you to be having a joyful reunion with my hybrid. Care to explain?” Her plan totally backfired because that smirk was now a full blown wolfish grin and if Caroline wasn’t so used to it, she swore her knees would shake.

(Because they’re not shaking a little now. Definitely not.)

She looked away nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear and realized she had no idea how she was going to go about this. Klaus for his part just crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, waiting for her to start. She decided that Miss Mystic Falls was not a coward and took a deep breath.

“Well the thing is, Tyler isn’t coming back to Mystic Falls because he’s part of a pack. And that’s okay, because he’s happy and I’m happy for him, and it turns out that everybody is sort of settled for the summer because Elena is officially with Damon which is a little weird but I’m happy for her and Bonnie’s off with her mom because she totally needed the break and Stefan finally left which is really, really great because he needed some time to himself and I completely support that, and Matt is apparently off to travel the world with your sister which I thought I’d be weird about but it turns out they’re really happy, so I was thinking I should leave too and I don’t know if the offer still stands or anything butIwaswonderingifIcouldcomewithyou.”

Caroline wondered if being a vampire allowed you to talk faster. At least she hadn’t needed breath throughout that incoherent rambling mess. She thought about repeating some of that because Klaus was speechless, just staring at her with his mouth slightly agape.

Actually, it was pretty funny.

She bit back a giggle, which Klaus noticed and frowned at. “Are you playing with me, love? Because if this is your idea of a –”  

“I’m serious, Klaus. Mystic Falls… it’s my home, but lately I get the feeling I need to leave. So much has happened here, but it’s just getting to be too much, and I feel like I need a break. And I remembered what you’ve always said, and I’m not looking to leave permanently because my mom’s still here, and my friends and I’m not ready to say goodbye forever, but right now, for the summer, I think I should get out.” It’s only when she says it out loud does she realize how ridiculous she sounds. Worse, her words give off the distinct impression that she’s _using_ him but she knows that’s not true because she would be lying if she said she wasn’t looking forward to spending time with him.

Klaus had stood up straight and was now regarding her with a look of pure hope. She swore she could feel butterflies fluttering inside her at the thought of the big bad Hybrid looking like that because of her.

“Caroline Forbes, are you asking me to whisk you away?” His voice is low and seductive and it sends a shiver down her spine but she doesn’t want to make any promises she might have to break.

“Nothing funny now,” she said, as sternly as she could. “I’m not – this isn’t the start of some summer fling, but we’re friends, right? As your _friend,_ I was wondering if I could come along. Is that….okay with you?”

He kept the look of adoration and stepped closer to her, putting a hand on her arm as he had done last night. “I would be happy to take you away from here as your _friend._ I’ve always liked a challenge.” He leaned forward so that he was whispering in her ear, “And just for the record love, we would never just be a fling.”

She rolled her eyes at his smug attitude but there’s no stopping a smile from spreading across her face. She was going to do it. She was leaving with him. The butterflies have all multiplied like crazy.

As he stepped back (but he still invaded her personal space – she found that she didn’t mind it) he looked behind her to her car, “Do you have your luggage with you already?”

“Uh, no, I actually spent most of the day with my friends and then internally debating with myself over whether or not I should do this.”

Her honesty, which she knows he’s always appreciated, just makes him laugh, “Very well, you go pack and I’ll get us tickets on the next flight out of this godforsaken town.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. If we do this, I was wondering if we could road trip it?”

“A road trip? You actually want to go on a road trip with me?”

“Well, yeah. My dad…well, my dad used to say that a road trip is when you really got to know yourself and whoever you were with. All that time you spend on an open road in a car just listening to music and talking – he told me it was a pretty special thing. The journey was always more important than the destination, so you should make it count, you know? Look, I know it probably sounds stupid but – “

“No, Caroline, not at all. Besides, why wouldn’t I want to spend hours in a confined space with a beautiful girl?” His smirk just will not leave his face, but right now, it’s actually endearing. Besides, he’s indulging an old fantasy of hers, to speed along a dusty highway with the wind blowing through her hair and a handsome boy driving them into the sunset. Granted it won’t be the summer love she’d imagined (nope, nuh-uh, definitely not happening) but she’s getting more and more anxious to leave by the second.

“Okay, this is great! So, I’m gonna go pack, and say goodbye to my mom and everything and I’ll be back tomorrow! Is tomorrow okay? Oh God, you don’t have to be in New Orleans right away or anything do you? Because if you do –“

“It’s fine, Caroline,” he said with a laugh. “Be back here this time tomorrow, and we’ll start then. I’ll be waiting.” His voice is low and sexy again and she wondered for a second if this really was a good idea, but that smile on his face just brings out his dimples and _dear God_ wasn’t the accent enough, he just had to have _dimples_?  Before she could do something stupid, she sped back to her car and hopped in, and as she drove away she could see him watching her leave.

For once, she knew she was definitely going back.

* * *

She thought she would’ve taken the chance to sleep in a little the next day, not knowing when she’d next have the comfort of her own bed, but the nerves proved to be too much and she found herself up at the crack of dawn throwing the contents of her closet around her room like a madwoman. She was debating between throwing in another sundress or a pair of jeans when her mom walked in, bleary eyed from sleep and nursing a steaming cup of coffee.

“Are you planning a trip?”

Caroline felt her stomach drop as she realized that in all the excitement of deciding to go with Klaus, she hadn’t figured out how she was going to tell her mom about her little vacation.  Dropping her clothes she gently led her mom over to her bed and sat down, casting around for some way to make it sound like she was making a well-thought out, rational decision.

(She’s not so sure that’s even the case.)

“Here’s the thing, mom – things have been just so hectic around here and it turns out a lot of people are sort of getting out of town for a while, so I thought I would too. It’s not forever! Just for the summer.”

‘ _And I’ll be going with Klaus.’_ The words are on the tip of her tongue but she keeps them to herself, not trusting that her mom won’t worry like crazy while she’s gone. As it was, it took a little more convincing before she could make her understand that this was something she really needed to do.  After forty five minutes and several promises that she would call often, Caroline finally knew her mom was going to be okay with her going away and she feels a little lighter about her impending departure.

Knowing that her mom’s duties would keep her at the station long into the night, she said her goodbye to her mom then and there, rolling her eyes half-heartedly at the sheriff’s stern warnings about keeping safe on the road. It was nice, it was normal; Caroline could pretend that she was any other high school graduate, ready to take a summer to enjoy herself before starting college.

 A tearful hug later, Caroline was left with a mess of a room and an overflowing suitcase which she was prepared to do battle with if it meant taking her entire summer wardrobe.  After she had wrangled the zipper shut, she set about the task of calling anybody left in Mystic Falls and letting them know of her plans, still leaving out the very important detail of who would be accompanying her. Elena had sounded surprised at her spontaneity, but Caroline could hear Damon in the background and she knew that she was doing the right thing for herself. There was resentment there, no use in denying it. But she could worry about that when she got back.

Bonnie and Stefan were still not returning any calls, though she left them both voicemails. Matt’s voice was a blessing and he told her that he was already in New York, spending a weekend there before heading to Paris. He sounded unbelievably happy and Caroline hoped more than anything that soon she’ll sound that way too.

Briefly, she wondered if she should feel guiltier, but this was _her_ summer, and she was damn well going to enjoy it.

* * *

Just after sunset, she found herself back in front of Klaus’ mansion with the hybrid out in front, leaning against his SUV. She parked her own car in the mansion’s garage knowing no one would look for it there, and the secret of her travelling partner would stay under wraps for at least the first few weeks of her trip. Lugging her suitcase, she strode over to him, noticing the large grin on his face.

She wasn’t sure what she should say to start them off and settled for standing there awkwardly, licking her lips. His eyes darkened almost imperceptibly at the gesture, and it sent a shiver down her spine, but instead of feeling scared, she only felt excited.

“Shall we get going, sweetheart?” She nodded mutely, but he didn’t seem to mind her silence. Walking over to the front passenger door he opened it for her and closed it once she was in, then stowed her luggage with his in the trunk. She realized how much she appreciated the little gentlemanly gesture, and a small smile curled her lips at the thought of being treated like this for an entire summer. As he came around to take his place behind the wheel, he noticed her smiling and his face mirrored her growing joy. They stared at each other for a moment, realizing the significance of what they were doing.

_‘We’re going to do this. We’re actually doing this.’_

 With a turn of the key, they were off.  The stars were just beginning to light up the night sky and she thought about how odd it was to be starting a road trip so late. Then again, they were both creatures of the night. Maybe this was just right for them.

She exhaled in relief once they sped past the ‘Welcome to Mystic Falls’ sign and relaxed, knowing no one was able to stop her. Better yet, she hadn’t been able to talk herself out of this. Klaus is silent next to her, but she’s practically become a study of his moods and she knows he’s as pleased as she is. About ten minutes out though, she caught on to what road they were driving on.

“Uh, Klaus? I know we had that argument over geography, but aren’t we supposed to be going _south_ to get to New Orleans?”

“Who said we were going to New Orleans?” he replied teasingly, mischief in his eyes as he turned to face her.

“But I thought…don’t you have stuff going on there?”

“I do. But Elijah was more than happy to take some time to fully assess the situation between the various supernaturals in that city, and it’ll still be there when I choose to make my claim. For now, I see no harm in taking some time to enjoy some sightseeing with a _friend.”_ On that last word he shot her that look she knew so well, the one he gives when he’s showing her that he’s trying to be serious but is laughing inside.

(It made him look like a puppy. Damn it.)

Caroline rolled her eyes at him, “Well, if we’re not going to New Orleans, then what exactly did you have in mind?”

“The drive between here and New Orleans is a mere ten hours, and I could stretch that out but I believe _you_ wanted to escape that one pony town for much longer. So Chicago first, I think, it’s one of my favourite cities. After that– we’ll take the scenic route.”

He threw her another slow grin, and it set her nerves on fire, the way his lips curved and eyes lit up. Slowly, she can feel herself returning it, relaxing into her seat, getting comfortable with being so close to him. The headlights cut through the road ahead, but apart from that, they’re blanketed in darkness, and Caroline had never felt so at ease around him before. Rolling down her window, she let the wind blow through her hair.

For once, she doesn’t mind the silence at all, but she knows it won’t last. They’ve got a long road ahead of them.

_Window rolled down with the heat on high_  
 _Stars all aligned in a runaway sky_  
 _Holding my hand as the miles roll by_  
 _Long gone, baby_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins. Once again, Hayley isn't preggers, so Klaus has no immediate impetus to stay in NOLA whilst Elijah does some recon.  
> Chapter title and song lyrics are from 'Get Out of This Town' by Carrie Underwood


	2. State of Grace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for Chicago and then out West! Most of this was written using what's probably questionable information from Google Directions, so please forgive any inaccuracies as to the driving distances between these locations.
> 
> Enjoy!

_You come around and the armor falls_   
_Pierce the room like a cannon ball_   
_Now all we know is don't let go_   
_We are alone, just you and me_   
_Up in your room and our slates are clean_   
_Just twin fire signs, four blue eyes_

When Caroline was about thirteen, she discovered her affinity for John Hughes films.  She easily related to Sam Baker, overlooked by her parents and pining after the handsome senior who never looked her way, or longed to get her own group of friends to fit the roles of the Breakfast Club (she was the Princess, obviously.) But her favourite form of 80’s teen movie escapism was watching Ferris Bueller lead his friends around Chicago, experiencing the sights and sounds of what that city had to offer.  She had wished for an adventure like that, to be pulled along to just enjoy life for a while by someone who truly knew the value of a beautiful day. But the Windy City was a long way from Mystic Falls and she shelved that dream pretty quickly, seriously doubting that any boy in her high school could whisk her away like she wanted.

Now, Caroline wished she could sit her preteen-self down and tell her to be patient because in about five years she was going to seriously _luck out_ on tour guides. Klaus had spent a lot of time in Chicago, and based on what Stefan had told her, he loved the city. When she woke up in the car the morning after they left, she found out he had driven them through the night, and now they cruised down the streets of the city in the early dawn hours. She was fascinated by the emptiness that was slowly filling as the locals started their day.  They checked in at a hotel with a fantastic view of Lake Michigan but Caroline had barely set down her bags and looked out at the vista before a soft knock sounded at the door joining the two rooms. She swung it open to reveal a very pleased Hybrid on the other side.

“I hope you like the room, sweetheart?”

“Like it? Klaus this view is amazing!” she replied with a laugh.

His smile widened at her happiness and he extended his arm.  “Let’s see some of the sights, shall we?”

With a smile, she took his arm and let him lead her out into the sunny streets. It was still early so their first stop was a small café for breakfast, and carrying fresh crepes they strolled out onto The ‘Magnificent Mile’, mingling with the summer crowd. It was incredible, how some landmarks that had lasted decades stood next to buildings that had been around only months. Mystic Falls was old so she was no stranger to history, but this mesh of classic and modern was entirely new to her.

“I remember when these buildings were brand new, you know,” he said with a hint of nostalgia. He steered them in front of a grand old building, a hotel by the looks of it. ‘ _The Drake’_ , boasted the front sign.

“This hotel was built in 1920. I spent some time here with Rebekah, we attended parties in the presidential suites, and we danced in the ballrooms. Granted, I preferred the smaller establishments, they were better for creatures like us. They were more _…intimate.”_ The last word rolled smoothly off his tongue and the dark look in his eyes made her wonder if he’d be showing her any of these _intimate_ establishments.

(She’s not sure if she would protest or not.)

To her surprise, he kept them in public. They spend a good chunk of the day in the Art Institute of Chicago and she stood in front of the Seurat painting she knew so well, mirroring the same pose as Ferris, much to her companion’s amusement.

“Sweetheart, what exactly are you doing?”

“I just really like 80’s teen movies, okay? Hey, you wouldn’t happen to know any Beatles songs, would you?”

He chuckled as he walked away, “Sorry love, I’m not crashing any parades today.”

She stayed in front of the painting for a minute longer, smiling to herself before she darted after him.

* * *

 

Chicago was bright and vibrant and she wondered anxiously where Klaus was planning on taking them the next day, so she took it upon herself to knock at his door repeatedly as soon as she got up in the morning. She was getting impatient with the amount of time it was taking him to answer and she was starting to think that he had left the hotel without her for some reason, until the door finally swung open.

“Hey, what took you so long, I was just…” she trailed off with her fist still raised mid knock. She tried to finish the rest of that sentence but all that came out was a faint squeak as she properly took in the hybrid standing in front of her.

The hybrid who had clearly just come out of a shower.

And who was still dripping wet.

And was wearing nothing but a crisp white towel that hung _dangerously_ low on his hips.

‘ _Oh my.’_

“Everything alright, sweetheart?” he asked gently, though she swore she could see an evil glint in his eyes.

(The jerk knew _exactly_ what he was doing to her.)

“I was just…I was just wondering what we were doing today…but, um…you’re clearly busy…so, I’m just going to go…somewhere….” She wondered exactly what shade of red her face had turned, she was sure it was spectacular.

Klaus made no comment to his indecent state but actually waved her in. “Don’t worry about it love, I was actually planning out our route earlier. You can check the map on the bed.”

She strolled over and inspected the paper, but instead of an overview of the city like she had expected, she found a map detailing the entire country, with a highlighted route marked through most of the middle, from Illinois right to the west coast of California.

“Are we leaving Chicago already?” she asked uncertainly. She was definitely not ready to leave; she had just gotten a taste of the big city.

“Indeed we are, love,” he said and she was startled to hear his voice just over her shoulder, and realized how close he was standing to her. Taking a gulp of air, she focused on what she was saying.

“But why? We’ve just gotten here; we’ve barely scratched the surface of tourist attractions, not to mention what I thought you knew about this city!”

He chuckled lowly and placed a hand on her back.  She just managed to stop herself from jumping at the jolt that shot through her.

“Relax love. I promised to whisk you away, and I’ve got the perfect way to do it. Do you trust me?”

(Did she? Did she trust this man who had alternated between placing her life in grave danger and saving it in the nick of time? Who had caused so much destruction but was hell-bent on treating her like royalty?)

“Yes…I do,” she said, albeit very hesitantly and she could have sworn she heard a small sigh from him at her reluctance.

“Then trust that I know exactly what I’m doing,” he said softly and leaned forward to whisper in her ear, “I promise to show you a _fantastic_ time.”

She inhaled sharply and felt her nerves alight at his close proximity but then that warmth fell away and she turned to see him gathering some clothes from a dresser.

(She took the opportunity to ogle the muscles in his back. Not that she would ever admit it.)

“I’m going to take that comment in the least sexual way possible,” she said loftily, hoping to show him that he hadn’t had the effect on her that he did. He just laughed and strode in the bathroom to change.

Left to herself, Caroline coached herself through some meditative breaths that would hopefully calm her down a little. This was ridiculous! She was supposed to be his ‘ _friend’_ , and she had definitely predicted this type of behavior from him, but she never thought she would be _responsive_ to it!

 _‘But I haven’t done anything. Let him try. We’re just_ friends.’

(Maybe if she repeated that to herself enough, it would stick.)

Desperate to take her attention off the hybrid in the bathroom (oh God, he was _naked_ in there, why did she have to have that thought?!) she turned back to the map and inspected their planned route a little closer. It seemed significant somehow, and she knew there was a reason he had picked it, but it took her a few minutes before she had the answer.

“Are we seriously going to follow Route 66?” she asked Klaus, who was coming out of the bathroom.

(Fully dressed, thank god. Except it was one of those damn Henley shirts that clung to him and let his necklaces peek out and it would be so easy to wrap her hands around them, pull his face down to hers and just –

Jesus, this was going to be a long summer.)

“That was the plan, love,” he said, coming to stand next to her. He curled one hand around the crook of her elbow and leaned over and traced the bright yellow line that cut across the map with the other. “I remember when most of America was on this road. During the Depression, there were thousands trying to find a better life, flocking to the West by the hundreds.”

Caroline raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I didn’t think you’d know so much about American cultural history.”

His laughed ruefully. “You’d be surprised.  After my father caught up to me in Chicago in the 20’s, I stayed in the country and spent a good deal of time on the road evading him. When the banks crashed and the travelers came out in droves that was the perfect opportunity. It was easy to drift among them.”

His voice was rife with nostalgia and Caroline felt a pang of sympathy for him. It there was one thing she could relate to it was having your father hate you for what you were. She wondered if her Dad would’ve spent a thousand years chasing her down trying to kill her if he hadn’t died. She wanted to say no, she knew that they had gotten closure before he passed, but every now and then she could feel the phantom sting of the sun rays on her skin and she remembered his words.

_‘Don’t go there. You’re not a monster.’_

Instead, she extracted her arm from Klaus’ hold and squeezed his hand. “You spent a lot of time running from him, right?”

Klaus chuckled ruefully and squeezed her hand back. “‘A lot’ of time would be the understatement of the past millennium.” He gave a small sigh then exhaled, shaking off the bitterness and planting his familiar smirk back on his face. “It you ever need help with running sweetheart, just let me know, I’ll show you all my best tricks,” he said with a wink.

She frowned, “But I’m not running from anything.”

He just raised his eyebrows in response, and she’s suddenly very, _very_ aware that thirty six hours ago she had been in her small southern hometown which she had never set one foot outside of, and was now standing in the middle of a vast hotel suite in Chicago with the hybrid she was supposed to hate playing tour guide for their vacation. Her breathing became slightly erratic and her thoughts flew through her head at rapid fire speed.

_‘I’m not running away, I’m going to go back, I’m not running away…’_

Her anxieties must have shown on her face because Klaus placed both hands on his shoulders and looked her in the eyes. He wasn’t smirking now, but instead looked completely earnest and she didn’t know if that made her feel better or just caused more confusion.

“Say the word sweetheart, I can have you at the airport in twenty minutes and you’ll be home by dinnertime.” He was completely serious, and Caroline knew that even if he was disappointed, he’d stand by his word. For one moment she considered it, it would be the safe, smart decision but the thought of being back in Mystic Falls caused something akin to claustrophobia press down on her.

She shook her head vehemently. “No way. You  just promised me a fantastic time and I’m holding you to that. You’re not getting rid of me that easily!” She gave him a bright smile and he relaxed, rubbing his thumbs in small circles on her shoulders.

(It’s ridiculously comforting. She’s getting used to this _way_ too fast.)

* * *

 

As the SUV maneuvered through the city streets and made its way into the quieter suburbs, Caroline sat anxiously in her seat, fiddling with her hands. This was the start of the ‘epic summer road trip’ of her dreams but she had no idea how to make that dream into a reality. Considering she had slept through their drive to Chicago this was the first time they were going to be spending hours in the car together, just the two of them, with no obvious escape unless she was willing to throw open the door and dive.

(Okay, that might be a bit extreme.)

This should be easy, right? They had spent a lot of time together. There was just the small detail of most of that time involving the terrorization of her friends and hometown. And the small matter of turning her boyfriend into a hybrid. Though there were good parts too – he had saved her life. Well, after he endangered it.

_‘Right, no talking about the past.’_

Still, who said she had to focus on Mystic Falls? He had lived for a _thousand_ years, he could probably tell her a million stories about kings and empires, and she knew she should just ask. Still, a part of her held back. The last thing she wanted to do now was bring up a time in his life when he had been running from his father (though there was very little chance she could avoid that), or a period when he was on his own because he had daggered his siblings (again, not a lot of chance of treading on safe ground.) She knew he could get lost in the past and become defensive and that would just make both of them tense.

Then again, maybe tense was better than awkward. They were almost through the suburbs and the houses slowly gave way to vast open fields on either side of the two lane road. It was wide and open and rustic and Caroline was struck by how odd it was that he had chosen this route. Granted, he had been around in its heyday, but she had always thought he was more of a big city man, preferring to be surrounded by art and culture and all that jazz.

Klaus was the one who broke the silence by casting a look over her jittery fingers, which were tapping the dashboard. “Penny for your thoughts, love?”

“Oh, I was just – nothing, it’s stupid,” she said quickly, shaking her head.

“Come on now, weren’t you the one who suggested road trips as a way of getting to know each other? Take a chance, I _dare_ you,” he said playfully, waggling his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes at him, laughing before she remembered what had been on her mind. “Okay, so don’t take this weirdly or anything, but I was just thinking how surprised I was that you agreed to this whole road trip thing.”

“Are you having second thoughts?” he asked, confused.

“No, it’s not that, I actually really like the idea of taking a fun road trip across the country with you ,” she said, a little shyly. “It’s just – well, when you first offered to take me away somewhere, it was to Paris, Rome and Tokyo –”

“Do you want to go to those cities now?”

“No, I guess I’m just surprised you chose a route that was so…rural, for the most part.  I mean, I expected to spend more time in Chicago definitely, I know how much you love that city , and – oh God, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say I _expected_ you to just chauffer me around and play tour guide, I just–”

“Caroline, love, relax! I was happy to do this. This road has a lot of history to it, I told you earlier. All those people, driving out west and looking for a better life…they would go down in lore. When you live long enough, you never know just when the next revolution will erupt or where to be when the guns start firing, but over time, you begin to recognize history as it happens.”

Caroline hung onto his every word, trying to understand what his life must’ve been like. Aside from the homicidal father, he had seen _so much…_ she wondered if she’d ever be able to come close to that, if she went on to live for a thousand years. Turning to her window, she tried to view the long road to California the way he had, not just as a route from one point to another, but as a chance of escape.

“66 is the mother road,” she said wistfully, remembering something she had read a few years ago, “the road of flight.”

“I’m impressed, love, you know your Steinbeck.”

“Well, I might remember a few extra credit novels I read for English a few years back.”

“You were an honour student, I presume?”  His voice was light and she knew he was teasing her, the same way he had back at the pageant. It was probably childish, but she stuck her tongue out at him, earning a loud laugh. It was nice to see him so relaxed and she felt herself losing all the jitters she had earlier. They could definitely make this work.

“What, did you think Miss Mystic Falls was just a teenage beauty queen with no substance?” she asked, her playful tone matching his.

He just chuckled lowly and shot her a smirk. “Sweetheart, you’re the whole package.”

It was _such_ a cheesy line, but that didn’t stop her from biting her lip and blushing while trying very hard to keep the smile from spreading on her face. They’re going to be treading a fine line during this trip, and she figured it was up to her to make sure they didn’t fall off on the wrong side.

(Which side was wrong again?)

“One more thing, love,” he added, his tone much more serious again. “You were right, I do love Chicago, very much and I’d love to show it to you in more detail, but I’m quite willing to wait.  When I do take you to that city, as with New Orleans, or Paris, Rome or Tokyo – I don’t want to just see those places as your friend.” He turned to face her and the dark look in his eyes made her mouth go dry. “I want to show you those places as your _lover._ ”

She gulped. It was a fine line to tread indeed.

* * *

 

It’s a while before they reached the outskirts of St. Louis, and Caroline spent the time regaling him of stories from her high school days back when she was first learning to rule the social kingdom of Mystic Falls.

(Why he thought the story of her staging a coup of the cheerleading squad and unseating Tina Fell as captain was interesting was beyond her, but he listened attentively to her enthusiastic prattling.)

“Anyway, so the pictures were eventually found by the administration and then Tina was busted for drunk driving so the rest of the squad pretty much voted me in the next day. And we went to regionals that year too, so obviously I should’ve been captain to begin with, but Tina just _had_ to pull the nepotism card because the Fell’s are such giant – stop laughing at me!”

“Sorry love, I just had no idea you could be so vicious! Who would’ve thought the world of competitive cheerleading could turn you deadlier than any supernatural threat?”

She rolled her eyes, “Well, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.  Some people just don’t understand how to do things properly.”

“You should never compromise your standards, love; you deserve nothing less than the best.”

She sighed dramatically, “You’re right, it’s just too bad there’s absolutely _no one_ who’s managed to meet those standards.”

He didn’t rise to her jibe, and managed to keep his cool composure. “Oh I don’t know, I seem to recall your words back at that pageant. What was your description of me? Oh yes, _‘perfect’_.”

She groaned, he was never going to let her forget that. She decided to turn the conversation before he accidentally got her to admit exactly what she had thought of him when she had seen him in that suit.

( _Indecent_ doesn’t even begin to describe where her thoughts had gone.)

“You know, if you wanted to know so much about how what kind of cheerleading captain I am, you could’ve just asked your sister – she was on the squad with me, remember?”

“I never liked to talk to Rebekah too much about her high school experiences; I thought indulging her little human fantasies would be unwise. Not that it put her off her goal of becoming _weak_ ,” he said with a grimace.

Caroline frowned; she had hoped to avoid all the hot-button topics. Then again, this was a road trip; they had to talk about that stuff sooner or later. “I thought you were okay with your sister becoming human when you told her there was only one dose of the cure?”

He stayed silent, but she could see how his hands clenched the wheel.

“Wait…you’d miss her, wouldn’t you? That’s why you didn’t want her to turn human; you knew she’d eventually die for good.”

“I’ve had over a thousand years to deal with Rebekah’s bratty personality, who says I would miss her after all of that?”

“Don’t pull that, not with me,” said Caroline sternly. “You love your sister. In your own twisted, keeping-them-in-coffins way, you love your family.  I mean, you have a terrible way of showing it…”

“I get it, Caroline,” he said stiffly. Taking a breath to relax himself, he managed a small smile. “Thank you for trying, though.”

“You love your family, Klaus. That’s not something you should be ashamed off,” she said, returning his smile. They drove in silence for a few minutes, watching as the rolling fields became scattered with more and more signs of civilization.

“I saw her before I left, you know. Rebekah was helping Matt pack; they’re in New York right now.”

He sighed. “Ah yes. The Quarterback.” He snuck a nervous look out of the corner of his eye and licked his lips nervously. “How, er…how is he? With her, I mean?”

Caroline’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Could this actually be a display of brotherly concern on his part? She smothered down a smile, not wanting him to think she was mocking his small act of affection, she knew that actually picking up his phone and talking to Rebekah was probably not going to happen anytime soon so she decided to just assuage his worries.

“He seemed really happy with her. He was excited for something for the first time in a long time, and I think he knows how to see the good in her. He encourages her to be better, and she tries for him, she really wants to be a better person. I think he’s good for her.”

“Let’s see just how encouraging he’ll be when she throws one of her tantrums,” he said with a sniff.

Caroline reached over and punched his arm lightly. “Have some faith! Matt dated me when I was human, and believe me, it was not pretty. I was shallow, and petty and jealous of everybody, but he was sweet and kind, and he mellowed me out – well, a little.” She smiled to herself, remembering serenading him with a song and kissing him on stage.

_‘The high school dream. Too bad all dreams have to end.’_

Beside her, Klaus had stiffened again, and Caroline didn’t have to guess at what was now bothering him. “So the jock was your first high school sweetheart then?” he asked, slightly caustic.  “How sentimental.”

She scoffed at his obvious jealousy. “Believe me, it’s over. He didn’t take the whole ‘vampire’ thing very well.”

Klaus looked a little sheepish at his obvious envy. “Well, I hope he fares better with Rebekah on that front. And just for the record love – anybody who lets you slip through their fingers is a fool. You’re strong, you’re beautiful – human or vampire, you should never be ashamed of who you are.”

Caroline could feel herself blushing again but was spared from answering by looking out her window and realizing where they were. To her right she spotted the familiar giant archway standing before a cluster of tall buildings and a sign on the bridge they were crossing informed them of their arrival in the state of Missouri.

“Welcome to St. Louis, Caroline.”

* * *

 

It was bright and sunny in St. Louis, which to Caroline meant it was perfect weather for taking a look around the city. Unfortunately, Klaus was not so fond of spending much time surrounded by obnoxious and stressed humans shoving each other to buy ridiculous souvenirs or complaining about long line ups. Such trivial matters did not affect his traveling companion though, who was all but vibrating with energy the next day, eager see the sights, with or without him.

He was the Original Hybrid, he had faced down legions of vampires, witches and werewolves, and he had witnessed unimaginable horrors. So really, one blonde baby vampire wielding a camera should not have been such a problem.

(Oh, it was a problem.)

“ _Please_ Klaus!” she begged, hands clasped in front of her, eyes wide and imploring.

“Love, really, tourist attractions are not good for my anger issues,” he said drily.

She just rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, intent on pulling him out of their hotel and into the heart of St. Louis. “You don’t have to tell me about your ‘anger issues’ but that’s why I’m here, remember?” He still didn’t budge, and she sighed, squeezing his hand.

“Come on, we’re supposed to be stretching this trip out, remember? Don’t you want to spend more time together?” She smiled at him then, her widest, sunniest smile, full of that ‘light’ he had found so attractive when he first noticed her. It wasn’t manipulative, it wasn’t fake, it was genuine and (though you would have to torture the admission out of him) it melted him right then and there.

It was the smile that got him standing underneath a massive metal arch overlooking the Mississippi river twenty minutes later.

(He was all for modern architecture, but a giant arch as a national monument? Really?)

“The Gateway Arch is 630 feet high, built as a monument to Thomas Jefferson and all those pioneers for who St. Louis was the ‘Gateway to the West’” informed Caroline enthusiastically.

“I had no idea you were such an expert,” Klaus replied, slightly confused.

“What? Oh no, I just got that off this brochure, the hotel had tons of them,” she said waving the bright flyer happily. Bringing up the camera that was dangling off her wrist up to her face, she snapped dozens of pictures of the structure, and Klaus enjoyed watching her face light up, she seemed more carefree in that one moment than in all the time he had known her.

“Say cheese!” she said suddenly, aiming her camera lens at him. The picture was snapped before he could so much as grimace and Caroline frowned at her camera as she reviewed her picture.

“Oh come on Klaus, this isn’t so bad,” she said eagerly. “Couldn’t you smile just a little?”

He just raised an eyebrow at her, and could feel himself smirking at her almost childish request.

Caroline quickly snapped another picture, but he still looked stiff and bored. Feeling bold, she walked over to him, and quickly wrapped an arm around his back, holding the camera up in front of both of them and capturing them together.

Blushing slightly, she retracted her arm and nervously fiddled with the buttons on the device, feeling his stare boring into her head. She didn’t know why she just did that, it was something you usually did with close friends or your boyfriend, it was meant to capture one moment with someone you were close with.

(Was she close with him? She had barely known him a year – but it felt like longer.)

She finally managed to pull up the shot she had just taken, the two of them in front of one of the arch’s legs, and she’s shocked into silence. There was the smile on her face, bright and sunny, and it was completely sincere, Caroline had enough experience with faking a smile to know when one was real. But it’s the look on Klaus’ face that stuns her; he’s smiling softly, no lines of worry or anger creased his brow and he looks young and happy, like any other twenty something guy enjoying a day of sightseeing with his girlfr – with a _friend._

(Just a friend. Of course.)

“You look a bit shocked, sweetheart – we did show up on the film, didn’t we?”

She turned up to his smirking face and showed him the picture, noting how he went silent as well. After a few moments he met her gaze and his look was intense, but she wasn’t sure what to make of it. His eyes blazed and there was this glimmer of hope in them, and she awkwardly glanced away, unable to deal with how he looked at her, with so much emotion.

Staring up at the curve of the massive arch, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “We should go up! You can see 30 miles in either direction.” She was already tugging on his hand, anxious to get them moving but still avoiding eye contact.

With ease, Klaus compelled them past the long queue and into a tram capsule just for the two of them. Caroline was forced to face him then, and he was looking particularly pleased with himself.

“What, you didn’t think I’d let us ride up in this shoebox with other humans, did you? Sorry love, but my self-control lasts only so long.”

Caroline barely refrained from scoffing at his arrogant attitude and was forming a witty retort when the tram started moving. Remembering the fact she had rattled off about the arch’s height, her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch.

“I used to be scared of heights you know,” she said suddenly.

Klaus turned to her, amused. “I didn’t think you were scared of anything, love.”

“I didn’t say I was _still_ scared of them – it was just what I was scared of when I was a kid. Human. I’m a vampire now, I’m over it. Well, I think. I haven’t actually tested that theory. I know, it’s stupid, you don’t have to laugh at me,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

To her surprise, Klaus did nothing to mock her; instead he just took her hand and squeezed it, a habit they both seemed to have picked up whenever they needed to extend some comfort to each other. It felt nice; actually, it was grounding and gave her an odd sense of security. As soon as they reached the top, he kept her hand tight in his as they stared out the tiny windows and she made no move to pull away, telling herself that it was just to stave off vertigo, and had nothing to do with _him._

She wondered how long she could go on like this, being in this weird state of limbo with him. She knew she was overthinking things, analyzing everything to death and if she kept this up, she would never enjoy herself. Looking out at the world so small around them, it was easy to think that nothing else mattered except them. And maybe, for a while, nothing else did.

  
_This is a state of grace_   
_This is the worthwhile fight_   
_Love is a ruthless game_   
_Unless you play it good and right_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title and song lyrics are from 'State of Grace' by Taylor Swift. 
> 
> The John Steinbeck quote said by Caroline is from his novel 'Grapes of Wrath'


	3. Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It probably doesn't take this long to drive through Missouri. 
> 
> Disclaimer: All characters are property of Warner Brothers

_I wanna hide the truth_   
_I wanna shelter you_   
_But with the beast inside_   
_There’s nowhere we can hide_

Caroline had always prided herself on being an incredibly organized person, on never forgetting even the smallest detail, and always being on top and in control of her life. She hadn’t been kidding when she told Stefan she was a neurotic control-freak on crack, as a vampire, having threats  around every corner meant there was little she could predict, so what she could foresee, she made sure to anticipate every single detail.

Yet somehow, she hadn’t managed to anticipate this.

She blamed Klaus. Well, okay, that’s really unfair, but they had been having such a good time in St. Louis that Caroline had finally managed to let go of some of her anxieties over her trip and was loosening up with him, so she sort of slipped up on keeping tabs on everything that she should’ve been.

Namely, her blood supply.

She had made sure to take along the full contents of her personal stock of blood bags before she left Mystic Falls, but now she realized how stupid she had been to not double check her supply before leaving St. Louis. If she had, she would’ve realized that she was all out.

Right, okay, nothing to worry about. She was Caroline Forbes, she had the best self-control out of all her friends, including those whose age tripled hers, so she could hang on until they got to the nearest hospital. No problem. She just had to keep her mind off the sudden blood cravings, and she’d be absolutely fine.

Caroline tried to distract herself by looking at the scenery, which currently consisted of trees and a few cars, with very little variation in either. Klaus was humming softly to himself, just loud enough for her vampire hearing to pick up, and it sounded like a classical piece. The low vibration of his voice was soothing, and she focused in on it, closing her eyes and allowing the soft melody to wash over her for a few minutes before he abruptly stopped.

“Do you enjoy ballet, Caroline?” Her eyes snapped open, and she brought herself back to reality.

(Which in this case included a steadily growing ache in her gums.)

“Sorry, what did you say?” she asked, a little disoriented.

“You seemed to enjoy the tune just now – it was the suite from ‘Swan Lake’,” he replied.

“Oh – I knew I recognized it from somewhere!”

“Let me guess – you were four years old, your favourite colour was pink and you wanted nothing more than to be a beautiful ballerina,” he said with great amusement.

Caroline felt her cheeks go red, was her life really that predictable? “I was five actually, and my favourite colour was purple,” she said, haughtily. “But I did take ballet for a few years, before dropping it to concentrate on other club stuff.”

“Well, you may not be a ballerina, but you’re certainly beautiful,” he said smoothly.

Caroline laughed out loud, secretly pleased that she wasn’t reduced to a stuttering mess this time. “Okay, if you’re going to keep up the corny lines, I’m writing them down and putting them in a book. We can call it ‘The Oldest Pick-Up Lines from the Oldest Creature on the Planet’, it’ll make us a fortune!”

Klaus laughed along with her, “If those lines are such clichés, it’s because the rest of the world’s Casanovas are poor imitations of me.”

She rolled her eyes at his self-confident attitude. “So, what about you? Are you a big ballet fan?”

“Moderately. I attended several productions put on by the Bolshoi Ballet in the latter decades of the 19th century, one of the best and oldest companies in the world.  I even saw ‘Swan Lake’ when it first premiered in Moscow, you know, back in 1877. The production was a bit of a mess, but the music was beautiful.”

Caroline soaked up his words; she was growing to love these little tidbits of his life that he gave out. It was so easy to just see him as the hybrid monster that had terrorized Mystic Falls, it was weird and fascinating to remember that he had seen so much of the world.

(But then, did she really think he would promise art, music and genuine beauty without being able to deliver?)

“I can’t say I went to indulge in high-brow entertainment though,” he continued. “I attended most of those particular performances with Kol, though he didn’t much care for the ballet – he went for the _ballerinas.”_

Caroline sucked in a breath at the mention of Kol. She remembered laying his body in the Mikaelson mansion, not knowing if it was her place to bury him, she remembered scrubbing up the burn mark in Elena’s kitchen. She hoped that this conversation hadn’t taken an unpleasant turn, the last thing she had wanted was to bring up the brother her friends had most recently killed, and she definitely wanted to avoid an argument on intent. Quickly, she decided to steer the conversation away.

“So, Kol and ballerinas, huh? Well I guess that doesn’t really surprise me. But what about you?” She shot him a sly smile out of the corner of her mouth, “You just said you didn’t like ballet all that much – were the dancers your type?”

Klaus smirked in response. “Well, they were quite disciplined, absolutely dedicated to their craft so it made courting them a challenge, not that either my brother or I minded. In fact, I distinctly remember this one dancer, she was quite flexible and Kol made a wager that he could –”

“NO!” yelled Caroline loudly, slamming her hands over her ears, “I absolutely _do not_ need to hear how that story ends!” She removed her hands and looked over to see Klaus almost doubled over the wheel laughing at her, and she huffed in exasperation, crossing her arms petulantly.

“Sorry love, but you asked.” Calming down, he cast a critical eye over her, noticing what was off about this picture.

“Love, you’ve been tapping your fingers on that window for the past 200 miles”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Your skin’s definitely a shade paler than it should be.”

“You spend way too much time watching me, you know that?”

“Your left leg’s been twitching since we left St. Louis.”

“I’m just saying, you should be paying more attention to the road, we can’t compel ourselves out of a car crash.”

“Caroline,” his voice was much sterner now, and she could tell by his eyes that he was serious, “when was the last time you had blood?”

Caroline huffed, stretching out her limbs (it was a good thing this SUV was so roomy) and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. Now that he had brought it up, her cravings were back in full force; she felt antsy, her skin itched and she fought the urge to run, to hunt. She took a few deep breaths before finally answering Klaus’ question.

“I had some yesterday morning. I didn’t realize that the blood bag I finished was my last.” She took another deep breath, internally cursing her own stupidity. “It’s okay, I’ll be fine until we reach the next town, and I’ll just visit the hospital there.

Klaus huffed, “Don’t be ridiculous, love, I won’t have you sitting in discomfort for any period of time. Besides, the next town might still be a ways away.”

Caroline was touched by his insistence that she be taken care of, but couldn’t guess what he planned to do. Without warning, he suddenly pulled the car over to the side of the road and parked it.

“Are we going animal hunting?” she asked, confused to just be stopping like that. She doubted there was much selection on the side of this lonely highway, and she eyed the tree line looking for signs of movement.

Klaus just scoffed at the question, “You’ve suffered at the hands of Stefan Salvatore, no self-respecting vampire should ever debase themselves to drink animal blood except in dire circumstances.” His voice was laced with derision, and he swiftly opened his door and made his way around the back of the SUV. Still a bit perplexed, Caroline followed quickly, trying to figure out what he had in mind. There were no people to be seen, not that she would even feel comfortable with that, and if they weren’t going to hunt…

Caroline’s eyes went wide as saucers as she contemplated a possible option. Without thinking, she eyed his forearms as he lifted up the back door of the car, they were exposed by the rolled up sleeves of his Henley shirt. If she looked closely she could see the vein stretching tautly against his skin, and she licked her lips involuntarily, remembering the two instances where she had drunk his blood. Granted, she had been _dying_ in both scenarios, but his blood is the one overwhelming sensory memory she carried with her, stronger even than the pain of his venom slowly snuffing out her life. His blood had been warm and rich, more… _potent_ in a way that she didn’t know how to properly describe. After spending so much time drinking from bunnies and blood bags it had been like tasting dark chocolate after only trying milk.

Noticing her wide-eyed (and slightly hungry?) stare, Klaus realized where her mind had gone. “That’s not what I had in mind, love,” he said with a chuckle, startling her out of her reverie.

Caroline brought herself back to the present, mortified that he had caught on so easily as to what she had been thinking about. “Oh God, no, I didn’t mean – it’s just that there’s no one here and you don’t want to hunt and I didn’t know…”

She trailed off sheepishly as Klaus shifted their bags around in the car’s trunk to reveal a storage compartment in the floor from which he pulled out a small blue cooler. Opening it, he revealed a full stock of blood bags, filling Caroline with relief.

“You…you already planned for this, huh?” she asked, embarrassed at her earlier panic.

“It’s a long road Caroline, I wouldn’t want you to have to go without nourishment,” he said with a grin, handing her one of the bags. Taking one for himself, he led her around the side of the SUV, making sure the car kept them well hidden from any passing motorists. They leant against the metal, sipping the blood in comfortable silence, before a thought struck Caroline.

“So, I’m guessing back when you were on the run during the Thirties you couldn’t exactly carry around blood bags.”

“You’re right,” said Klaus, staring off into the tree line.

“Plus, the cars were slower, so it would’ve taken even more time to get between towns…”

“Be thankful you live in modern times, Caroline,” said Klaus with a smirk. “Where are you going with this?”

“I was just wondering…what did you do when you needed blood on the road?”

Klaus was silent for a moment and Caroline wondered if she had asked something wildly inappropriate before he answered.

“You’re right, sometimes it was too long to wait to get to the nearest town for blood. So I’d pick up hitchhikers and drain them.” He spoke evenly, with none of the warmth he had used earlier, but no malice either. He remained perfectly neutral.

“Back then, people were much more trusting. It was considered quite safe to climb into cars with perfect strangers and I considered it quite convenient for a quick meal.”

A chill came over Caroline as she heard him reminisce. The silence settled over them again, but now she was tense, and Klaus said nothing to ease her anxiety. He was waiting for her to make the next move, she realized, she could panic or demand to be taken to the nearest airport, or she could get back in the car and they would be on their way.

The road on which they were driving was dusty and deserted, and Caroline stared down the cracked tarmac path, envisioning someone young and full of hope standing on the roadside trying to find a ride to the west coast. Maybe they wanted to see the ocean, maybe they wanted to make it in showbiz, and they wouldn’t think twice when a car pulled over, driven by a handsome young man with a foreign accent and an alluring smile, dripping with charm. It would have been so easy for him…

Caroline took in a sharp breath, trying to keep herself calm. She _knew_ who he was. She knew exactly what he was capable of, so why was this the time she chose to wonder just who she got into a car with? He certainly hadn’t been drinking blood bags on their trip so far, she knew he had probably been compelling the maids at their hotels, but she had yet to be confronted with his nature so bluntly. Still,  in the grand scheme of things this was hardly the worst thing he had done, and all she had to go on was what he had done in Mystic Falls, she wasn’t even taking into account the thousand years before that!

So, could she really start judgment now? After laughing with him and Chicago and holding his hand in St. Louis, could she really hold the high ground?

“Caroline?” His voice was quiet but it still made her jump. Turning to him, she was met with his hesitant smile and his outstretched hand. The gesture was a loaded one. Gallantry was one thing, but she didn’t exactly need help to get into the car. He remained silent, and she realized that for the first time he wouldn’t try to influence her decision or try to make her see things his way, no matter how much he might’ve wanted to. She was struck by how much she appreciated that.

“Let’s get going,” she said, and with a bright smile, she took his hand.

He took her empty blood bag and handed her into the car. Caroline watched the rearview mirror as he put the empty bags in the cooler then came around to climb back into the driver’s seat. As he turned the key, he shot her a shy smile and Caroline came to the conclusion that a thousand years was a lot of time to be one kind of person.

* * *

 

As the sun dipped below the horizon in front of them, both Klaus and Caroline started looking out for a motel. It had become an unspoken agreement between the two of them; they were stretching out this trip as long as possible so if they were on the road by sunset, they found somewhere to spend the night. Usually there were small towns with hotels but the stretch of Route 66 that they were currently on remained stubbornly deserted.

Spotting a sign advertising a small motel off the next exit, they took the detour and ended up on a tiny road surrounded by dark woods.

“Uh, Klaus…we took the right road, right?”

“Map lessons from Magellan, remember love?”

“You’re not following a map,” she muttered under her breath before spotting a neon sign up ahead proclaiming the “LITTLE HOUSE INN”. They parked themselves in front of a low wooden building, not very big, and by the looks of it, completely deserted. The sign out front sparked erratically, several letters were missing, but it said they had a vacancy so it remained a viable option. The sun had now set completely and the surrounding woods pressed in on them, completely isolating them from the rest of civilization.

“It seems…homey”, she said, a little uncertainly.

Klaus gave her a skeptical look, but they both got out of the car and retrieved their bags, making their way to the front entrance. Klaus pushed open the heavy wooden doors and Caroline was met with a front foyer that looked like it had seen better days. Like, back in the 70’s maybe. The yellow wallpaper was cracked and faded, and a few floral couches made up a small sitting area, though they were frayed and stained.

(Dear God, she hoped that red spot on the carpet had just been someone spilling ketchup.)

“Hello? Anybody here?” Klaus strode up to the front desk, and tapped a small bell impatiently. Caroline trained her ears until she finally made out a heartbeat, and it was coming closer.

“Welcome to the Little House Inn. How may I be of service?” The heartbeat turned out to belong to what she presumed was the inn owner, a spindly, middle aged man. He wore a yellow cardigan that matched the colour of the walls, his big square glasses kept slipping down his nose, and the small amount of straw blonde hair he had left the crown of his head bare, causing it to reflect the harsh lighting overhead.

“We were hoping to get a room for the night,” said Klaus a little tersely, Caroline could tell he was as put off by their surroundings as she was. The owner was skimming  through a ledger in front of him (what place still used a ledger?) and Caroline could see his hands twitching on the pages as he muttered what she thought were some random numbers to himself. He darted a look at the two vampires and it crept her out thoroughly. It wasn’t lecherous, she had been on the receiving end of enough of those to recognize them, but it was clinical and probing, and it caused her to inch forward until she was standing right next to Klaus.

The hybrid must have sensed her uneasiness because he brought up a hand to rest on the small of her back and it sent a bolt of warmth through her.

(It relaxed her instantly. Should she have been worried?)

The owner looked up and his lips stretched into a thin smile. “It seems we have one open room for this night. Allow me to go get the key.” He ambled off, still muttering nonsense to himself, and Caroline and Klaus both let out a breath once he had gone.

“Oh my God, I think I’m having Hitchcock flashbacks,” said Caroline, careful to keep her voice quiet enough so that only Klaus could hear her. His hand rubbed a small circle on her back and it allayed some of the agitation over the creepy motel owner, but she still felt jitters, only now for a much different reason.

“Relax love,” muttered Klaus out of the corner of his mouth. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m quite certain I inspired several of Hitchcock’s bloodier works, so our host really can’t be that bad.”

“Klaus, did you see him?! He’s the reincarnation of Norman Bates and if he says one word about his mother, I’m sleeping in the car!”

Klaus just let out a low chuckle over her panicked outburst, and continued his soothing motions. “For God’s sake Caroline, you’re a vampire, aren’t you?” He shot her a sly smirk, “Of course, if you truly believe that you’re unsafe, I would understand that your delicate sensibilities require –”

“Delicate?!” Caroline whispered harshly. “I am not _delicate,_ thank you very much!”

“Love, really, you don’t have to put up a façade for me,” he teased, letting his hand wander up her back. As he met her soft curls, he wrapped a finger around one perfect ringlet and tugged on it affectionately.

Caroline reached her hand back and slapped his hand away, turning to face him and crossing her arms in front of herself defiantly. “Listen carefully. Despite what everyone seems to think, I am _not_ some Barbie princess, so I am perfectly capable of handling myself, and I can assure you one night in this ‘establishment’ is perfectly _fine_ with me!”

Klaus remained still, using every ounce of his strength to keep his laughter to himself. She was adorable like this, but he wouldn’t dare mock her now, he wanted to keep her in as good a mood as possible.

Both of them were spared from their standoff by the motel owner who had returned and was holding a key fob. “Right this way please,” he said, leading them down a dank hallway and stopping at a door right at the end of the corridor. “This room is one of our best. I’m sure you’ll both be quite comfortable.”

Unlocking the door, he pushed it open with a loud creak, causing a shiver to run up Caroline’s spine. She stepped in and was pleasantly surprised to find that it seemed quite clean, if Spartan in decoration. There was a small desk, the bathroom was off to the side, and the bed had crisp white sheets…

Hang on. _Bed_. Singular. As in, there was only one.

(Somewhere up there, somebody was watching the TV show of her life and laughing at her.)

“I’m sorry; would it be possible to get a room with two beds? Or maybe two rooms?” asked Caroline, a little flustered. She could just see Klaus’ lips pressed together in a smile out of the corner of her eye, and she knew how much he must be _loving_ this.

(Jerk.)

“This is our best room,” said the owner, a little testily. “Perfect for a lovely young couple such as yourself.”

“Well the thing is we’re not exactly a –”

“And the other rooms aren’t prepared, this is the only one fit to use,” he pressed on, his reedy voice getting higher and higher.

“But if we could just –”

“This is the best room we have!” he shouted suddenly, and his eyes blazed. She sensed Klaus was approximately two milliseconds from ripping out his throat before them man abruptly turned away and stalked down the hallway, muttering nonsense to himself again. Caroline poked her head out of the doorway and watched him turn the corner fully before slamming the room’s door shut and proceeding to flash around like a madwoman, checking every corner, nook and cranny for anything suspicious.

“Love, what exactly are you doing?” asked Klaus.

“I’m checking for hidden cameras!” hissed Caroline, “I’ve heard about places like these, he’s probably watching us right now hoping to get some kind of a free show, and the next thing you know we’ll be broadcast on some porn site and –“

“Caroline!” Klaus had stopped her movements by grabbing her upper arms and he held her steady in front of him. “We’re not being taped. We’re perfectly safe. What did I tell you? We’re _vampires.”_

He was teasing her for her human fears again and she shrugged off his hold, annoyed. “It’s easy for you to be calm about this,” she muttered. “It’s always the guy who’s sleeping peacefully while the girl is being slashed open in the shower.”

Klaus just rolled his eyes in response, “Really sweetheart, do you seriously think I would let anybody within a 10 yard radius of you while you were showering?”

She scrunched up her nose, because she’s getting a little embarrassed at the turn this conversation is taking (Oh God, is he imagining her showering, why did she think that, now she’s blushing again), so she avoided his gaze and glanced around the room until her gaze fell upon the solitary queen bed in the middle. Klaus followed her gaze and frowned.

“Caroline,” he said seriously, “We can leave. We’ll get in the car and drive – if that’s what you really want.”

His words are sincere, but Caroline noticed that his face had fallen a little and it amuses her to no end that he’s putting in such a concerted effort to be a gentleman here.

(Please. She knew him so much better than that.)

She could tell him that she wants to leave, but they’ve spent hours on the road today, and frankly she could use a good night’s sleep. Her neurotic nature wasn’t that irrational, she knew that one freaky human running a motel wasn’t that much of a threat, they were perfectly safe and he’s taken good care of her so far – what’s the worst that could happen? He still looked uncertain in front of her and she felt her lips curving in a smile, she decided to pay back some of his earlier remarks.

“Really Klaus, are you that scared of me? We’re both adults, one night in a bed shouldn’t kill us, right? Unless your _delicate_ sensibilities won’t allow for one night – “

“Careful there Caroline, or you might find out how _indelicate_ my sensibilities can be,” he replied, taking step forward so that they barely an inch apart, his face hovering over hers, voice husky and eyes half-lidded.

Caroline gulped but remained steady, impressed that in the last few days she had learnt to keep her head when he was like this. Then again, that didn’t actually the diminish the effect he had on her in the slightest, if anything, she felt herself feeling the full force of his advances more and more each time. But, she could hold her ground and that counted for something, especially at times like this when he clearly expected her to be reduced to a blubbering mess.

“Well then we’re settled!” she chirped. Turning away from him she flashed to her suitcase and pulled out a bag of toiletries and some sleepwear and then skipped over to the small bathroom. Before closing the door she popped her head out to see Klaus still standing in the middle of the room, looking slightly bewildered. She grinned to herself, pleased to see that she could have some effect on him too.

“By the way, if I end up getting killed in here, I’m going to be haunting you forever, just so you know!” she said happily, then spun around and locked the door behind her.

Klaus heaved a breath in the middle of the room, wondering at what point his life had turned into a battle of wills with a young blonde vampire a fraction of his age. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to feel the usual irritation he associated with not getting his way. He _liked_ this, after all. The chase, the moments of anticipation when he wondered, had she finally, _finally_ let go of her misgivings, could she finally take a chance on him, on _them_?

It would happen, eventually, her giving in was inevitable, he was certain. He hadn’t been lying when he said he intended to be her last, a thousand years teaches patience after all.

(Then again, having her so close every minute of every day was severely testing that patience.)

In the meantime, the game kept him well entertained, learning more about her life and sharing tidbits of his, and he replayed the memories of their trip so far as he stripped down and put on an old pair of sweatpants, turning off the lights and settling on top of the polyester duvet. The shower still ran, though he wasn’t too willing to dwell on the beauty inside lest thoughts got out of hand and he started something _her_ hearing would probably pick up. Closing his eyes, he drifted off with a content smile firmly on his face.

Caroline tiptoed out of the bathroom, noticing that the room was dark and took care to avoid waking Klaus.  Putting her clothes in her suitcase, she made her way over to the bed and took a deep breath, wondering how she wanted to do this. Did she get under the covers? He wasn’t, so maybe that was a step too far. She appreciated that he was already asleep, it gave her the ability to go about this in whatever way she felt comfortable without feeling too awkward, and she knew that was his intention. Sitting down gently on the edge of the bed, she eased her body on top of the mattress and scooted as close to the middle as she dared without touching him. She faced outwards, but she could feel his body heat radiating on her back and gave her goose bumps.

Well versed in how these things worked on TV, she decided to be smart about this and picked up one of the pillows, setting it behind her back so that there was some semblance of a barrier between them. It lessened her nerves and she curled up on herself, her mind filled with memories of every close encounter the two of them had had over the past few days, which were becoming more and more frequent. They weren’t bad memories she realized, and as she drifted off, it was with a smile on her face.

* * *

 

It was _way_ too early when Caroline started to stir. She wasn’t sure what had pulled her from her sleep but she knew that it couldn’t be late enough that they should be worried about getting back on the road, regardless of how creepy this place might be. She kept her eyes stubbornly shut, not willing to let in daylight before she stiffened, remembering the events of last night.

_‘One bed. Her and Klaus. Oh God.’_

She kept her eyes shut and didn’t move an inch, taking stock of where exactly her body was positioned. She mentally did a victory dance when she felt the soft cushion of the pillow under her head and not any part of Klaus…

Oh wait.

Her head was on the pillow. The pillow was on Klaus.

(Seriously, the TV show of her life must be one hell of a comedy.)

Not being able to take the suspense, she cracked open one eye to assess the damage. Klaus had remained on his back, one arm thrown over the far side of the bed, but the other was pinned under Caroline, and she could feel his hand tangled in her hair. She didn’t dare move an inch for fear of waking him and the last thing she needed was for this to be more awkward.

She was good and thoroughly stuck, not able to go back to sleep, but not able to actually do anything while awake. It was indeed very early; the first bluish hues of dawn bathed the room in an eerie glow and cast long shadows on the couple. Glancing up from her spot on his chest, Caroline took the opportunity to study Klaus’ face in the light. She hadn’t been able to make out what he looked like asleep last night in the dark, but now she saw how peaceful he seemed, as if he had nothing to worry about, no curses or arch enemies or the multitudes of people who probably wanted him dead. His mouth was parted slightly, and his chest rose in deep steady breaths. It was the picture of serenity.

This was hardly romantic, just an embarrassing situation. But as she lay there, she wondered what it might be like if they were ‘together’; if she felt totally comfortable with curling into his side, and could enjoy the feeling of his fingers entangling in her curls. In the pale blue light she allowed herself to imagine what it might be like to press a chaste kiss to his lips to wake him up…

No, no, _no,_ she _could not_ go there! Her hand clenched and she pressed her nails into her palm, trying to bring her out of her daydream. Friendly road trips were one thing, but her mind was wandering into dangerous territory.

Carefully, she took deep breaths. She knew she was overreacting again. There was this little voice in her head telling her she _should_ feel mortified, or guilty but the more she searched her own feelings, the more aware she became of the absence of either of those sentiments. She wasn’t guilty anymore, she realized, in fact she was completely content. She thought back to their conversation by the roadside yesterday, and maybe it wasn’t smart, or even ethical, but she wasn’t about to be ashamed of herself or him. She wanted to be happy – and for once, she was.

The first rays of the sun peeked through the window and the blue hue gave way to a warm orange glow. Going back to her study of her companion, she traced the lines of his tattoos and wondered what they meant. She shifted a little to count the birds on his chest but she must’ve brushed a little too close because he started to wake up. Her eyes widened in panic and she flashed herself out of his hold, sitting on the edge of the bed. She looked over her shoulder to see him wake up fully, propping himself up on his elbows and shaking off the bleariness of sleep.

“Have you been awake long?” he asked, his voice thick.

“Uh, no, I just woke up,” she said feeling sheepish. Biting her lip, she tried to figure out where they should go from here, and settled for trying to be as casual as possible. “So, I’m going to go get ready, we should get going soon, right?”

He nodded and gave her a soft smile, which she returned. Getting up from the bed, she stretched her arms and spun back around to face him, and she smirked upon finding his eyes running up and down her body.

“Hey, eyes up!” she said, though her voice held only humour. He did lift his gaze, though his smirk held no shame. The sunlit room illuminated the tattoos more clearly, and Caroline tilted her head, her eyes roving over his chest.

“Eyes up, sweetheart,” he said with a laugh.

“Your tattoos, what do they mean?” she asked curiously.

His smirk only widened. “Get dressed, love. I’ll tell you in the car.”

 

_Your eyes, they shine so bright_   
_I want to save that light_   
_I can't escape this now_   
_Unless you show me how_

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is actually a 'Little House Inn' near Mansfield, in Missouri, but I'm sure the owners are lovely people. 
> 
> Chapter title and song lyrics are from "Demons" by Imagine Dragons


	4. If I Lose Myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're well into the midwest! No gas-station attendants were harmed in the writing of this chapter.

_I stared up at the sun,_   
_Thought of all of the people, places and things I’ve loved._   
_I stared up just to see_   
_With all of the faces, you were the one next to me._

Caroline heaved a sigh as the rolling fields of Kansas sped by. It was a vast and empty landscape, perfect for making one feel small and lonely, especially under the grey skies. Her body fidgeted, and she could feel Klaus watching her out of the corner of his eye, probably wondering why she was being moody this morning. Truthfully, she didn’t know either.  The day had started out well enough; she had even called her mom before they had hit the road. Mystic Falls had somehow managed to remain peaceful, so there was no imminent threat to worry about, and her mom was absolutely fine – she even sounded somewhat relaxed for what was probably the first time in months. Caroline had left a voicemail for Stefan and Bonnie each – it had become a habit now – but she doubted either of them would be responding anytime soon. Her finger had hovered over Elena’s number before she thought better of disturbing her friend’s newfound ‘happiness’ and reasoned that she could call another day. Then, she had joined Klaus in the car and off they had gone. All was fine.

So what was this weird feeling of dissatisfaction? She was a little sad, a little uneasy, but she couldn’t really pinpoint it. She decided to blame the scenery. The flat plains of Kansas did little to stimulate the imagination, and the blanket of low hanging rain clouds didn’t exactly help her mood. She gave another little sigh, tapping her armrest, and this time, her restlessness did not go unnoticed.

“Something bothering you, love?” asked Klaus. He had remained silent for the better part of the morning, sensing that for once the bubbly blonde was not feeling talkative, but he had hoped he’d be able to discern the reason for her behavior. Nothing obvious came to mind, though.

“I’m just feeling a little out of it,” said Caroline with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Maybe it’s the scenery. It makes me feel sort of…lonely. Sorry, I’m being weird, right? I mean you’re right there but –”

“No need for apologies,” he replied with a crooked smile. “I’m well acquainted with the feeling. I never minded it too much myself though, I found the opportunity to be left with my thoughts for long stretches of road liberating.”

She just scoffed in disbelief, not able to understand his reasoning. One could make the argument that Caroline Forbes had been left to herself more than she would’ve liked or ever led on, but she had always tried to rectify that, never wanting to be alone for long. It was a bit of a stretch for her to understand how you could appreciate having your world just to yourself.

“It’s true, being isolated can take its toll – but every now and then, it can be necessary, to be able to sort through one’s thoughts without the distracting natter of other people,” explained Klaus, though he knew his twisted mind required more solitude than most people. Still, despite his nature, a thousand years spent trying to build an army and desperately hold on to his family had forced him to admit to himself that he too craved contact and a sense of closeness with other people. It was a basic need.

_‘In the end, we are left infinitely and utterly alone.’_

He shook his head at the unwanted memory, and frowned at the thought of Caroline feeling that way. It was something he would never wish on someone like her. He looked over to see her contemplating his words for a moment before she spoke again.

“I can’t say isolation’s exactly my thing,” she said, “people actually like me, remember?” She knew that he would remember the old line, and the small smile on his face told her he was replaying the moment out in front of his mansion all those months ago. They’d come a long way since then, this time around her voice held no bite, just a little bit of tease. It was subdued though – for some reason, she still felt blue.

The two lapsed into silence again. Klaus tapped his fingers on the wheel nervously, a new worry entering his mind about the cause of her disquietude. The conversation they had had a short time ago came back to him, his frank confession of his old hunting habits was not something he was about to be ashamed of but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little bit worried that her morality would suddenly overwhelm her and she’d run for the hills, as far away from the monster as possible. She could be contemplating it right now, planning a route of escape, worried that he’d come after her.

(And he would go after her. He’d chase her for a good long while.)

“Caroline,” he said, licking his lips nervously (since when was he ever _nervous_?), and drawing her curious face to him. “The past few days – I realize what I told you about my habits might be a bit… _off-putting_ , though I had hoped it wouldn’t be the cause of any sort of rift, but if that is the case then –”

“No, wait, is that what you think this is about?” If nothing else, he got her to smile, and it lit up her face in the familiar way that sent warmth rushing through him.

Caroline almost laughed at his assumption; she hadn’t expected him to think that one little conversation would be the straw to break the camel’s back. Though, she supposed she had a history of slapping him down when confronted with any brutality he had committed.

(Then again, most of that brutality was against people she knew. She found herself much less scathing when the victims were just abstract figures from decades ago. She’s pretty sure that’s not how compassion is really supposed to work and she wondered just how much being a vampire did for your empathy.)

“Klaus, listen – I know you’re not exactly a boy scout. I _know_ that. I mean, do we really have to go over everything that happened in Mystic Falls?” She saw him wince ever so slightly and she cringed herself for bringing the subject up. This trip had a strict ‘No-talking-about-the-recent-past-in-Mystic-Falls’ rule; she didn’t want to touch upon anything that would make him irrationally angry at her or her friends and she suspected he was worried she might decide this whole thing was a bad idea if she was left to think about the people he had killed.

Taking a breath, she decided to share some of her earlier epiphany. “I mean – I guess I’ve been thinking about it a little, everything you’ve done. But I’ve also been thinking about the whole ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ thing. I’m not saying you’re a good person – sorry, but that ship’s sailed.” He smiled at her and nodded his head, encouraging her to continue.

“The thing is – I’m not sure I’m exactly a good person either. I mean, I’ve killed too, right? What does that make me?”

“Sweetheart, if you are anything but the definition of good, then there is _no_ hope for me.”

Anther scoff came from her side, “Seriously, you’ve got to stop with the whole ‘putting me on a pedestal’ thing, I’m going to get knocked off eventually,” she said with raised eyebrows. “And you’re right, you’re way past hope, but I guess I’ll do what I can.”

Klaus just smiled to himself, knowing that whatever pedestal he may place her on, it would take an earthquake for her to fall off it. He admired her, neuroses and all, and he was not about to stop anytime soon. As reassured as he was that she wasn’t about to run for the hills, they still hadn’t come to the bottom of why she was so down in the first place.

“You’re still feeling a bit blue, love?” he asked softly. She nodded in response, turning to look out at the small town they had entered. This old route went through dozens of places like these, small and out of place, all homes of local football teams and eager young things desperate to get out and see the world. With any luck, they had no inkling about the world of vampires or witches and could go about their lives with some of the peace Mystic Falls had once enjoyed.

“This place reminds of home, you know. Less trees, though, much dustier,” said Caroline, her tone so gloomy that Klaus finally clued in as to what the problem was.

“Caroline, do you think you’re feeling a bit homesick?”

She was surprised by his question, having not considered the option herself. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Her conversation with her mom must have sparked it, this little bit of nostalgia for her home town.

“I think I am, actually. Thanks for figuring that one out,” she said with a small smile.

“Do you miss Mystic Falls very much?”

 She took a moment to think about it before answering. “I do and I don’t, I guess. I had barely ever left Mystic Falls when I was a human, and I think it was getting to the point where I thought I’d never be able to leave for good and that scared me. I’m glad I managed to get out, but I still miss it now. After everything that happened to me there, it’s always going to be home.”

“It’s perfectly understandable. That town is where you have your roots, it’s only natural that you’d miss it at least a little.”

Caroline nodded absentmindedly before realizing something. “You know, it’s your home too. I mean, you were there centuries before the rest of us, did you ever miss it?”

He let out a low chuckle that held no humour. “Believe me, thoughts of my home were not pleasant ones. Not when my father had successfully driven us out of it. I spent too much time moving from place to place to really set down roots anywhere.”

It seemed like a sad prospect to her, not being able to call any one place home and have that grounding knowledge that you could always go back to your past. Still, he managed to overcome it and she felt a bit childish for feeling so glum. She was immortal, Mystic Falls was not going to be her home for much longer anyway so wasn’t it time she grew up a little? At least Klaus understood her separation anxiety, though the concerned look on his face told her that he was starting to worry about her ability to stay with him again.

“You know, if you find you really miss home then I could always - ”

“No way Klaus!” she said quickly. “Remember, I’m having a blast. Why would I want to end that?” she asked teasingly, and it lightened up the car a little. No matter what she was feeling now, Caroline knew it wouldn’t compare to the laugh she’d give the next time she experienced a new city or Klaus told her a funny story. Mystic Falls was far away and she was having fun, no way in hell was she cutting this short for any reason.

“Well, if you’re quite content then I hope you won’t mind a small stop here,” said Klaus, eyeing the gas gauge. They were low and thankfully close to a gas station. The small Kansas town was indeed old and dusty as Caroline had described, but there was an attendant at the station so it would do for now.

“Are we just filling up here then?”

“Yes, and then we’ll cross into Oklahoma. I’d rather not stay in a small town for too long.”

“Why not?”

He shot her a smirk. “Haven’t you learnt from your time in Mystic Falls, love? It’s the small towns that attract the weird ones.”

* * *

 

The small gas station that stood in the center of Baxter Springs, Kansas, was deserted except for the teenage boy working at the pump. Klaus stepped out of the car and gave him a few brusque instructions before leaning through the open driver’s window to face Caroline.

“Care for a snack, love?” he asked with a smirk and a pointed look in the direction of the attendant.

“I think I’ll be fine until we get into Oklahoma, Klaus” she answered with a glare, knowing that he was trying to rile her up. “Besides, don’t you think this place is a little _exposed?_ ” Her voice lowered to a harsh whisper but his smirk just widened in response.

“If you say so, sweetheart.”

“I _do_ say so. But, if you’re so interested in snacks, I like Twizzlers!” she said happily. He turned to look at the convenience store behind them and rolled his eyes.

“Watch the car,” he said before spinning on his heel and striding towards the store.

With a grin, she watched him walk off, wondering how they had gotten to the point where they were this comfortable with each other. Deciding to give her legs a stretch too, she stepped out of the car and extended her arms over her head, taking a breath of the warm, dry air. The grey clouds looked darker, threatening a storm, and she wondered if they would have to drive through it. She’d always loved a good thunderstorm.

“You’d better be careful when driving; it looks like it’s going to be a bad one.”

Caroline spun around to find out who was talking to her and came face to face with the young attendant on the other side of the car, who was returning the gas hose to the pump.  He walked around to stand in front of Caroline and gave her a shy smile.

“Just saying, the storms out here can hit like lightning and are over just as fast, you guys should watch yourself on the road.” The boy seemed nice enough, blue-eyed, well-built and with an easy smile. If Caroline had to guess, she’d say he was a senior in high school, probably quarterback of the football team and the perfect example of the All-American standard. He reminded her of Matt and Tyler and she felt another pang of her earlier homesickness.

“Well, thanks for the word of advice, we’ll keep an eye out,” she replied.

“Yeah, I guess your boyfriend probably knows what he’s doing.”

“Oh, he’s not – we’re not exactly like that! We’re, uh, we’re just friends, that’s all,” said Caroline, with a blush. Did it really seem like she and Klaus were ‘together’ to other people?

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable –”

“No, it’s fine, I was just – I’m Caroline!” she said with an awkward laugh, holding out her hand.

He shook her hand and gave a grin, “I’m Josh. So, what’re you and your ‘friend’ doing in Baxter Springs?”

“We’re just passing through; we’re sort of on a road trip.”

Josh reached for the rag that was tucked into his belt and absentmindedly ran it over the top of the SUV, and Caroline smiled inwardly at his obvious excuse to continue talking to her. She mused that if she had been a human she would’ve taken the opportunity to throw herself at him, batting her eyelashes and twirling her hair. Now, she settled for leaning against the car and waiting for Klaus to come back so that they could be on their way.

Josh shot her a shy smile and straightened in front of her, nervously running his hand through his hair. Sensing that he was building up courage for something, Caroline decided to be patient and gave him an encouraging smile.

(In hindsight, ‘encouraging’ might have been a bad idea.)

“So, uh, I know you’re probably not going to be here for too long, but if you think you might stick around for the afternoon, I’ll be off soon…”

Caroline bit her lip, “Uh, Josh…”

“No, just hear me out first,” he said eagerly. He stepped forward hesitantly and placed a hand on her arm, surprising Caroline with his boldness. “This is a pretty small town, so we don’t exactly get too many strangers, especially ones as pretty as you.”

He took another step forward and a deep breath and now Caroline knew she had to stop this before he got any more of the wrong idea.

“Seriously, Josh, you seem really sweet and everything…”

“Just consider spending one evening with –”

Whatever Josh had in mind was cut short abruptly by Caroline being yanked back suddenly, almost losing her footing. She suddenly felt a pair of rough hands wrapped around her shoulders and her back was against the hard panes of Klaus’ chest.

“Thank you for your services,” he said, his voice dripping with venom. Caroline swore she could feel the growl building in his chest and if she could see his eyes she was willing to bet that they would be tinged with yellow. Though, if the look on Josh’s face was anything to go by, Klaus might’ve already been in full hybrid mode.

“We’re going to be on our way now. Let’s go, _love_.” She didn’t miss the emphasis he put on his endearment, but didn’t get a chance to say anything in return because in the next second he had reached past her  and yanked open the front passenger door, shoving her none too gently into the seat. 

Caroline sat still, a little stunned at the turn of events before remembering what was happening and turned to see Josh standing back against the gas pump, watching Klaus with wide eyes. The poor boy looked too scared to move and Caroline almost wanted to reassure him somehow before Klaus jumped into the car and banged his door shut. He started the ignition and slammed his foot down on the accelerator, jerking Caroline forward, forcing her to brace a hand against the dashboard.

As soon as Caroline had regained her balance and managed to buckle herself into the seat, her shock turned to anger. Klaus remained stubbornly fixated on the road, and if he gripped the steering wheel any harder, he would crush it. He didn’t let up on the accelerator either, and the dark clouds sped past in a giant blur, though Caroline could swear she saw the first flashes of lightning in the distance.

“What the _fuck_ was that?!” she asked him, furious at his rough behavior.

Klaus just took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He flexed his fingers, trying to ease up his grip on the wheel, but every time he stared at his hands he remembered that adolescent prat’s hand on Caroline’s arm and he saw red.

“ _That,_ love, was my reaction to seeing some insignificant imbecile paw at you,” he snarled, still keeping his eyes on the road ahead. He had the feeling that if he looked at her, he might lose his head.

She scoffed, and leant back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him carefully. “Wait, so that’s what this is? You’re _jealous_?”

He did nothing to answer except to take in another deep breath and Caroline could see some of the tension leaving him the farther they drove. The anger was leaving her too – after all, it’s not like she was ever planning to give poor Josh any more of her time, though she just wished he hadn’t had to have been left traumatized.

(Though, in retrospect, the look on his face had been sort of funny. And he hadn’t gotten hurt, right? Maybe she had a bigger influence on Klaus than she knew.)

Caroline rolled her eyes at his obvious alpha-male behavior. “It wasn’t necessary, you know. It’s not like I would’ve ever actually said ‘yes’ to whatever he was going to ask, so the whole testosterone display could’ve been avoided.”

“Well, that pathetic _boy_ should know exactly what he was up against,” said Klaus with a dark smirk.

“Aren’t you taking this a little too seriously? We’re _friends,_ right?”

Klaus just raised his eyebrows in response and Caroline caught his meaning immediately. She wasn’t an idiot.  This whole ‘friends’ thing they had going on was what she told herself continually to justify her rising comfort level with him but she knew he would never stop trying to get her to see the future he could give her.

(It was the future she was starting to think about, more and more. Not that she’d ever admit it to him though.)

“You’re a woman of the world, Caroline. You shouldn’t even have to suffer through the advances of some pathetic adolescent who would have no idea how to properly seduce you. You deserve a proper King,” said Klaus, his attitude considerably lighter.

“A proper king, huh? So tell me, where would I find one of those?” She leant a little over the center console and batted her eyelashes dramatically, waiting for some cheesy line about how she was looking at one or maybe a repeat of his offer to show her the world.

But none of that happened. Instead, he remained silent and turned his head to stare at her, his lips curving into a dirty, salacious smirk. His eyes roamed over her shamelessly, lingering at the cleavage left exposed by her tank top before coming up to reach her stare, and Caroline nearly gulped to see how dark his blue eyes had gone.

It did the trick better than anything he could've said and her mouth parted slightly as she lost herself in the intensity of what his lustful gaze promised. She realized that she was coming closer and closer to breaking her _'We are just friends'_ rule,  so she quickly gulped down a breath and scrambled as far away as she could in her seat, busying herself by fumbling with the map on the dash. It did nothing to lessen the blush on her cheeks or the self-satisfied grin on his face, and with the map hiding her from him, Caroline allowed herself a small smile too.

Peeking over the top of the paper, she saw that he had turned back to the road, but now looked downright gleeful compared to his earlier state. She could handle him, she told herself. If nothing else, she was genuinely enjoying his company more and more, and harmless flirtation (wasn’t that their thing?) was hardly going to be the end of her. So, she relaxed and watched the lighting in the distance, preparing herself for a good show. There was just one thing missing…

“Hey, Klaus?”

“Yes, love?

“Where are my Twizzlers?”

* * *

 

They didn’t stay driving for long before reaching Oklahoma City. After checking into their hotel in the Bricktown neighbourhood (conjoining rooms, thank God), Caroline stood at the window, staring out at the small canal that wound through the brick buildings, the streetlights that had lit up in the twilight and more and more people milled around on the sidewalks, waiting for entry into clubs or restaurants. It had been a while since Caroline had been able to just enjoy a Friday night, and she wondered if she couldn’t take the chance to do so now.

Sifting through the contents of her suitcase, she pulled out a short blue dress and a set of strappy silver heels, mentally congratulating herself for managing to pack these items, even though she hadn’t thought she’d ever need them. After styling her hair into perfect ringlets and carefully applying her makeup, she grabbed her leather jacket and gave herself a once over in the mirror. Satisfied with her appearance, she nodded happily and went over to knock on Klaus’ door.

The hybrid opened the door and was taken aback by her dolled up appearance. “Are you going out, love?”

“Well, it’s just that it was so hot earlier, but it’s cooled down now and this neighbourhood has some pretty great nightclubs, so I was just wondering if you wanted to take a walk? Maybe check some out?” She fidgeted a little nervously upon seeing his lips press into a line, contemplating her offer.

“I’m not so sure that a nightclub in Oklahoma City would really be my cup of tea, sweetheart,” he said skeptically.

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun! I just wanted to stretch my legs for a bit, see some of the area.”

His look remained doubtful, and Caroline’s face fell. Then again, she was a big girl, wasn’t she? Surely they didn’t need to be glued at the hip all the time; she could easily take a night off to herself. Pulling herself up, she gave him a bright smile.

“Look, it’s totally fine if you’re not up for it, I’ll just take a stroll by myself, and I was probably going to just stay close to the hotel anyway.”

“Love, I’m –”

“No, seriously, it’s fine. I might just get a few drinks, but I’ll see you tomorrow morning, okay?” Keeping the smile firmly on, she closed the joining door and then left her room, making her way to the elevator. Once inside, she leant against the cool metal wall and sighed, realizing how much she had actually wanted to spend the evening with him. He wasn’t bad company after all, but maybe this was for the best. She couldn’t stay on the whole ‘friends’ track if she invited him out for drinks, could she?

_‘Friends can have drinks together. That happens all the time.’_

Ignoring the weight she felt, she strode across the lobby and into the cool evening air, taking a deep breath and resolving to try and enjoy herself a little. She made it about two steps out of the front door before she felt a warm hand intertwine with hers and she looked up in surprise to find Klaus standing right next to her with a grin on his face. It was unfair how effortlessly sexy he looked, dressed in his typical uniform of jeans and a Henley with a leather jacket.

“Decided to come after all, then?” she asked playfully.

“Well, I wouldn’t want you getting yourself into any trouble now,” he replied, and she rolled her eyes at the transparent excuse. Squeezing his hand, she led them into the street.

The old brick warehouses had only been revamped into an entertainment district relatively recently, and it made for a fun atmosphere on that cool summer evening. Tourists were everywhere, riding in water taxis along the canal, lining up for the clubs and just enjoying the weather. Klaus and Caroline stayed close together, their hands linked as they took turns pointing out interesting sights. It was so easy to be with him, she was completely relaxed as he let go of her hand only to put an arm around her shoulders and pull her into his side. She sighed in contentment, feeling that it was neither an awkward nor unwelcome gesture; in fact, it sparked the butterflies in her stomach again.

Hearing the thumping of bass coming from somewhere nearby, Caroline lifted her head and spotted the entrance to a club close by. Deciding to have a little fun, she pulled Klaus by the hand and led him to the doors where she effortlessly compelled them both inside.

“I’m impressed, love, I had no idea you could be so liberal with your abilities.” He spoke close to her ear in an effort to be heard over the pounding music and she smirked up at him in return.

“If I’m going to live forever, I might as well enjoy some perks!” she said happily. She pulled him once again by the hand and they weaved through the sweaty mass of bodies until they found the bar where they both took seats.

“A round of shots please!” she called out to the bartender who presented them with a tray a moment later.

“Feeling like letting loose tonight, are we?” asked Klaus, teasing her a little.

“Well, this is summer – we should be having as much fun as possible, right?” she asked cheerfully, picking up one of the glasses and holding it up in front of her. “To the perfect summer!” she toasted, before downing the drink in a go. Klaus grinned and picked up one of his own, gulping it down as he decided to let go and have some fun her way.

A little while later, Caroline was well past tipsy and fast on her way to completely smashed. Not that either of them minded, she laughed freely and leaned into Klaus, steadying herself with a hand on his leg as she leaned closer so that they could hear each other. The hybrid for his part enjoyed her carefree attitude and shamelessly let the hand he had leaning on the bar to reach up and play with the ends of her curls.

“And then, you _growled_ at him you actually _growled_ at him!” Caroline said, giggling like mad. “That poor kid still had acne; did you seriously think I was going to go on a _date_ with him?” She collapsed in laughter, leaning even closer to him and Klaus closed his eyes, inhaling her scent and trying his damn best to keep his hands to himself. Opening his eyes, he found her face inches from his, her cheeks flushed and eyes glazed, staring up at him with something resembling wonder.

“Klaus, I think I – I love this song!” In the next second she was out of her seat and in the middle of the dance floor. He remained at the bar, watching her with nothing short of awe. He had never seen her so radiant, she moved without a care in the world, unbothered with who was watching but relaxed into the steady beat. Her hand moved through her hair and her hips swayed, a sight that mesmerized him so completely, it was several minutes before he brought himself back to reality. Unfortunately, that reality included several human men ogling Caroline and a few were making their way over to actually try dancing with her, so to avoid a repeat of what had happened that afternoon, he strode over quickly and put an arm around her waist, uncaring of how menacing he might have appeared to anybody who had any ideas about the woman that _he_ was with.

(Did he really have that claim to her though? He’d worry the specifics in the morning, right now he bloody well did.)

Caroline pressed herself up against Klaus, liking the weight of his arm around her and deciding to be bold, she linked her arms around his neck. “Are you here to dance with me?” she asked happily.

“Sorry love, this type of dancing really isn’t my style,” he said with a little sniff of disdain as he glanced at the grinding bodies around them. The club was getting hotter by the minute and Caroline suddenly felt a little squeezed in so she unwound her arms from Klaus and dragged him by the hand out into the street. Night had fallen completely, so the air was cool and refreshing, a welcome change from inside. Caroline twirled around on the brick pavement, earning a chuckle from Klaus and she lit up to hear him laugh a little.

“Told you this would be fun!” she said, walking closer to the edge of the sidewalk where the canal was. The soft glow of the streetlights was reflected in the dark water and she grinned at her refelction, eyes bright, and smile wide – she looked wonderful. She _felt_ wonderful. Turning around to find Klaus standing close behind her, she took his hand once more and bit her lip.

“You know Klaus, I seriously owe you for this trip.”

“I assure you, love, the pleasure is mine.”

“Yeah, but, you’ve been great, you’ve planned this whole thing out and I’ve been having such a good time…” She trailed off and looked into his eyes which were partially closed and staring at her lips. It would be so easy to just step up on her tiptoes…

Later, she’d blame the alcohol consumption on her part and his infatuation with her for inhibiting their reflexes. It was all sort of a blur, all she knew was that as she was leaning back, pulling him closer to her, she lost all sense of where she was, the world was spinning, she was intoxicated by the alcohol and him –

And then reality hit her like a bucket of cold water.

No, seriously.

They had fallen into the canal.

* * *

 

The next morning, her mouth tasted like cotton and her head pounded like a jackhammer. She had never been more thankful for her vampire status, knowing that it meant hangovers didn’t last as long. She sat up in her bed, realizing with relief that she was in her own room, she was alone, and her clothes were still on. All very good signs that no big leaps hadn’t been taken while under the influence.

She decided to look halfway decent before she faced Klaus again (Oh God, were things going to be awkward now?) and dragged herself into the shower. The warm water woke her up and she let herself go over the events of last night.

She felt like she might never have a sip of alcohol again but actually kissing _Klaus…_

Well. She might really have to try that someday.

_If I lose myself tonight,_   
_It’ll be you and I._   
_Lose myself tonight..._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title and song lyrics are from 'If I Lose Myself' by OneRepublic


	5. Long Shot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Into the Texas desert with a little bit of drama. Enjoy!

_So now I’ll take a chance on_

_This thing we may have started_

_Intentional or not I_

_Don’t think we saw it coming_

_It’s all adding up to something_

_That asks for some involvement_

_That asks for a commitment_

_I think I see it coming_

_If we step out on that limb_

“ _I crashed my car into a bridge, I watched, I let it burn!”_ sang Caroline happily, tapping her fingers on the wheel, and bobbing her head to the catchy tune. She grinned happily, feeling the rush of wind through her hair and the warmth of the hot Texas sun. The terrain was giving way to flat open desert, dotted with small shrubs, and the horizon stretched out for miles in front of her. It was vast and gave Caroline the feeling that she could run for days if she wanted to. But for now, she’d settle for driving.

“Love, do we really have to listen to this drivel all the way to New Mexico?”

“Driver picks the music, those were your rules, and that is why I’ve been listening to nothing but music from the British Invasion for the past two weeks!” said Caroline, sticking out her tongue at the exasperated hybrid who was sitting in the passenger seat for the first time this entire trip. She hadn’t thought much of it at first, that Klaus was constantly driving, but after a while she started wondering if he ever got tired of it and offered to take over for the day. Though if she had known how much he would complain about her driving habits, she’s not sure if she would’ve offered sooner just to irritate him or not at all.

(And she thought _she_ was a control freak.)

“The music from that time period is classic, it’s gone down in history and what the Beatles did with their lyrics is something most modern day music couldn’t even hope to –”

“ _I don’t care! I love it!”_ she continued to sing, laughing internally at the appropriate lyrics. Klaus just rolled his eyes and turned back to the sketchbook open in his lap, which he had been hunched over for the better part of the morning. Every time he caught Caroline trying to sneak a peek he quickly covered up whatever he was working on and gave her a cryptic smile. It was starting to get on her nerves, actually.

“How do you even sketch in a moving car?” she asked, slightly irritated at his secrecy. What could he possibly be working on that she couldn’t see?

“Centuries of practice, love. You think this is bad, try the back of a horse.” He kept his eyes on the paper but he could feel her eyes boring into the side of his head. Glancing up, he found her almost leaning over the center console, trying to glimpse his work.

“Eyes on the road, sweetheart!” he scolded, and with a huff, Caroline fell back into her seat, and drummed her fingers on the wheel.

“Fine, you sketch, I’ll just be singing along to Taylor Swift for the next three hours,” she said with a smirk, knowing that would get his attention on her again.

“I’m starting to think Stefan wasn’t as bad a driving companion as I remember him being,” replied Klaus.

“Wait, you were here with Stefan?”

Klaus nodded, gazing at the desert around them and losing himself to his memories for a moment. “Last summer, when I was on a quest for hybrids. There are werewolf packs all over the southern United States you know, the sunnier the climate, the better.”

“Thank God for daylight rings,” said Caroline, tapping her ring finger against the wheel. For a moment, she wondered how Bonnie was doing; she hoped her friend was recovering from the trying few months she had experienced.

“It certainly made it easier for us to go searching for werewolves around here,” said Klaus, turning to her. “There are very few vampires down here in the south, with the notable exception of New Orleans, of course.”

“Ah yes, the mysterious city of New Orleans. What’s so special about that place anyway?”

Klaus just smiled, searching for the right words. “New Orleans is magical. I couldn’t tell you exactly why I felt it would make such a good home for the supernatural; I’d have to show it to you. It’s one of my favourite places in the world.”

“Yeah, I remember your voicemail.” She snuck him a shy smile, slightly hesitant to admit that she had listened to that voicemail until she had it memorized. “’ _Food, music, art and culture’ –_ is it really that great?”

“All that and so much more, Caroline,” he replied, his voice low. “Don’t worry – I’ll take you to all the best spots one day.”

The words he had said on the first day of their trip came back to mind. ‘ _I want to show you those places as your lover.’_ He made it sound so inevitable, and Caroline gripped the wheel a little tighter, wondering if his words would come true one day.

_‘Don’t panic, don’t start overthinking things. No one’s pressuring you into anything.’_

Taking a deep breath, Caroline turned her attention back to the long road ahead of them.

“Love, take that next left,” instructed Klaus suddenly.

Caroline was confused but followed his directions, taking the next exit which led to a small road, barely an upgrade from a dirt path. It led nowhere obvious, and she was getting more and more baffled.  The sun beat down harshly, and it she squinted, trying to make out a destination in the distance, but all she saw was sand and shrubbery, the air shimmering in the heat.

“Klaus, where are we going?” asked Caroline, growing tired of their aimless driving.

“Just a little farther now, it should be close by.”

“ _What_ should be close by? There’s nothing out here!”

“Look again, sweetheart,” he said, a small smile on his face.

Caroline looked into the distance, expecting nothing but more sparse terrain, but this time there was the silhouette of a small building against the backdrop of sky and endless road. She kept her eyes on the structure, not trusting that it wouldn’t disappear if she blinked. She wondered how she could’ve possibly missed it earlier, but if Klaus was the one directing her to it, she suspected that there was more than meets the eye. Finally, they arrived at their destination, which turned out to be a small wooden log-cabin. The words “Johanna’s Gifts” was painted on the side, along with some colorful flowers. There was nothing around it, no sign of an attraction or civilization, or anything that might warrant a gift shop in the middle of nowhere.

“Uh, Klaus? What exactly are doing here?”

“Well, I’m actually stopping in on an old friend of mine.  Come now, what’s that look for?”

Caroline’s eyebrows had shot into her hairline and her shock wasn’t about to fade. “A _friend?”_

“Well all right,” he conceded. “She’s not an enemy.”

“I guess I can believe that.”

Klaus smirked at her, opening his door and stepping out of the car. “What’s the matter, Caroline, jealous? Have no fear, your status as my ‘friend’ continues to be a rather unique one.”

Caroline just scoffed, “I am not going to dignify that with a response.”

“Whatever you say, love.” Klaus led her around to the front entrance of the shop and they walked inside, Caroline instantly feeling relief at the rush of cool air, a stark contrast to the dry heat outside.

(She didn’t give damn what vampires were or were not supposed to feel regarding temperature, Texas in July was _hot._ )

The small shop was filled with knick knacks. Jewelry, pottery, rugs and antiques took up every corner, except for one, where a small counter with a register stood. Behind that counter, an old woman sat in a rocking chair, her long dark hair in a heavy braid over her shoulder, her skin looked tanned and weathered. She sat still and silent, her head drooping forward onto her chest and her hands clasped in her lap. Caroline thought she looked dead asleep (or maybe just dead?), so she stood awkwardly near the doorway, still unsure what they were supposed to be doing.

“You can come inside, you know.” The voice did not belong to Klaus and Caroline was startled to suddenly see the old woman sitting straight up, her dark eyes staring straight at the two vampires.

“You’re not going to buy anything standing there, so you might as well come in,” she said tartly. The woman eyed Caroline a little suspiciously before turning her attention to Klaus. The hybrid simply gave her a dimpled smile, which was presumably meant to look innocent. It just made him look all the more menacing.

“Really Johanna, such hostility after all this time?”

“Why are you here, Klaus?”

“Surely I can take some time to visit an old acquaintance? Besides, you sell some exquisite pieces.” He paused in front of a painting on the wall depicting some cliff dwellings. “Truly, there are some gems here.”

Johanna just sniffed at his obvious display of flattery. “I highly doubt you’re visiting me for my wares. And who is she?” Her probing gaze found Caroline again, and the blonde did her best to meet it fearlessly.

“I’m Caroline Forbes,” she said, holding her head high.

“And why are you here, Caroline Forbes?”

“She’s a good friend of mine, Johanna” interrupted Klaus. He shot Caroline a small smile like they were both in on a joke, he was probably thinking of their earlier conversation.

“So that’s why you came? To take a _friend_ sightseeing?”

“Not exactly. I needed to ask you a few questions about the city of New Orleans.”

“You’re here about New Orleans?” asked Caroline before she could help herself.

Klaus nodded and smiled again at Johanna, who simply continued scowling. “Johanna here has been quite helpful in the past when it came to helping me plan ahead. When was the last time? 1932? ’33?

“It was 1935 and we had an agreement that you wouldn’t be darkening my doorstep for a good long while.”

“Come now, isn’t seventy years more than enough?”

“Not hardly.” She stood up from her rocking chair and drew the heavy woolen shawl around her shoulders tight across her chest. To Caroline it looked like she was readying herself for a fight.

“Wait, how did you know each other in 1935?” she asked, confused. Johanna just turned to her with a raised eyebrow, and Caroline realized that there were very, _very_ few people who could possibly stand up to Klaus like this and live. “You’re a witch?”

“She is indeed,” answered Klaus with a smirk.  “Johanna here is one of the few witches in the area and as such is quite prominent within the supernatural community of the south. She’s helped me once, and I was hoping she’d extend her services once more. You could say she’s downright _prophetic._ ”

“There is no such thing, Niklaus, a fact you still seem incapable of grasping!”

“You told me how to escape Mikael seventy years ago, I expect you to tap into whatever powers you have now,” said Klaus, his voice lowering to a dangerous growl. Caroline looked between the two anxiously, hoping that she wouldn’t have to break up a fight.  Then the old witch seemed to relent, sighing heavily and sitting back down in the rocking chair.

“I cannot tell you the future Klaus.  I can only trust my instincts.”

“So trust them now,” said Klaus imploringly. “Just give me what you can.”

Johanna closed her eyes and from what Caroline could tell, she was concentrating very hard on something. Once they opened, she began to speak in low tones, her voice sounding strained from exhaustion.

While Klaus was engaged with the witch, Caroline moved around the shop, inspecting the various trinkets displayed. They were beautiful, varying in colours and sizes, necklaces, bracelets, rings, of all different kinds. Intricate patterns were painted on vases and old black and white photographs on the wall showed the surrounding landscape throughout the years.

“But what do the Devereux witches have to do with Marcel?” she heard Klaus ask heatedly.

_‘Devereux witches? Marcel?’_

Caroline knew that if she really wanted to know, she could just ask Klaus later in the car. But the truth was she _didn’t_ want to know. Asking him about New Orleans meant remembering that as soon as this ‘trip’ was done, it was back to Mystic Falls for her and off to New Orleans for him. She wanted to say she felt a little bitter about the idea because she was going back to her tiny hometown and him to a mysterious and ‘magical’ city, but honestly she knew she couldn’t keep lying to herself. She was going to miss _him._

Wandering over to a window, she fingered the necklaces that hung in front of it, marveling at the intricacy of the small stone pendants. They were rippled with colour, dark reds, pinks and browns, they looked like they had been carved from the side of the ancient rock formations that littered the desert and then polished until they shone in the sunlight. They drew her in and she examined them more closely, wondering how much time had gone into making each one.

“I made those myself you know.” Caroline spun around to find Johanna standing once more and coming closer to her. Klaus came up next to them and examined the necklaces himself.

“They’re beautiful Johanna,” he said with a note of approval. The old woman did nothing to receive his praise, instead she looked between one of the necklaces, a dark burnished red pendant, and then to Caroline, studying the vampire closely.

“You should take this one. You like it, yes?”

“Well, yes, I do,” said Caroline, taken aback by the sudden offer. “But I’m not sure if I –“

“Take it. It’s on the house. Consider it a sign of good faith.” Her last words were directed at Klaus and she fixed him with a pointed glare.

Klaus chuckled at her offer, “I swear I’ll keep my distance. Providing of course, you mean what you say.”

“I do mean it,” she replied, though her perpetual frown was now replaced with a cryptic smile. “You’ll see I’m a woman of my word.”

Johanna moved to take her place back on the rocking chair behind the counter and studiously ignored them. Her behavior confused Caroline, but Klaus just took down the pendant the witch had pointed out and rubbed his thumb over the polished stone. “It’s a remarkable piece,” he said in admiration. Turning to Caroline, he held the two ends of the brown string apart.

“May I?”

Catching his meaning, Caroline swept her hair to one side and stood still as he came to stand behind her and dropped the pendant over her head. He tied the ends of the string at the nape of her neck and she could feel the heat from his fingers as they skimmed the line of her shoulder blades and came to rest gently on her shoulders. She leaned back into him unconsciously as she admired the pendant and it wasn’t until she heard the scraping of the rocking chair against the floor that she was reminded they weren’t alone.

“Thank you so much for this, Johanna – Johanna?” The witch didn’t answer, and instead gave a light snore.

With a soft chuckle, Klaus tightened his hands on Caroline’s shoulders and steered her out the door. “Let’s leave her to rest, shall we? She deserves it.”

Once they both stepped out into the desert, Klaus took her hand and they walked towards the car.

“What was all that stuff about? About Marcel and those witches?”

“That is what is waiting for me back in New Orleans,” he replied, a little forlornly.

“What’s the matter – not excited for the whole ‘ruling’ thing?”

“Don’t mistake me love, I’m very much looking forward to reclaiming my kingdom. But I have to admit, the thought of returning to war reminds me that the summer will be over eventually – and I’m quite enjoying myself.”

They reached the car and Caroline squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Hey, the summer’s not over yet, right? Let’s just enjoy the present!”

He grinned and reached into his pockets for the keys before remembering that she had been driving. “Love, should I drive now?”

But Caroline was already clambering back into the driver’s seat, grinning triumphantly. “Nope, we’re listening to Top 40 Hits until we reach New Mexico and you can’t stop me!”

* * *

 

Hours later, Klaus instructed Caroline to pull over one more time, only now they were in front of a small diner on the side of the highway. It looked like the kind of place that hadn’t changed since the 1950’s, and Caroline could just imagine the leather jackets and poodle skirts that had been here over the years. They didn’t technically need to stop, their blood supply was well stocked, but Klaus claimed they should get a chance to stretch their legs.

(Though Caroline suspected it had something to do with their earlier conversation. Any excuse to spend more time on this little vacation was good in her books.)

“I think I remember this place, you know,” said Klaus, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked at the old diner. “If memory serves, the food was pretty good to eat.”

“You mean the _people_ were really good to eat?” asked Caroline skeptically.

Klaus raised an eyebrow, “I’ll have you know I’m perfectly capable of enjoying a good meal, sweetheart.”

Caroline just rolled her eyes and strode towards the entrance. “As long as they have fries!”

They entered the restaurant, and were met with the smell of grease. Caroline had been right in thinking that the place probably hadn’t changed in decades, the booths next to the windows were made with shiny red vinyl seats, as were the bar stools up at the counter. The tiled walls were bright neon blue, and covered in posters for the nearby football team and old pictures of people standing around near the entrance, posing in front of vintage cars. It was completely empty but for a place that had probably been forgotten by the rest of the country, it looked like it held a lot of history.

“Welcome!” boomed a heavy southern accent. A man strode forward from the kitchen and stood behind the counter, wiping it down with a grin in the direction of the two vampires. “I’m Ricky, I own the joint. Now what brings you to my humble establishment?”

“We’re just stopping for lunch,” replied Caroline. She liked this place, after all the mystery of Johanna’s shop, this place was bright and vibrant. A little old and faded maybe, but it had signs of life.

 Ricky reached under the counter and grabbed two menus and then guided both Klaus and Caroline to a booth under a large window. “Now, here are some menus,” he said, handing them the thin laminated sheets, “Our chili’s the best this side of Amarillo,  but the pie is what keeps people coming back!” He gave them both an eager smile, before his eyes narrowed in on Caroline’s hand.

“That’s a fine piece of jewelry, darlin’,” he said looking intently at her daylight ring. Caroline was a little confused, she’d never particularly liked the ring she was fated to wear for the rest of her life if she ever wanted to walk in the sun, but she supposed it might suit other people’s taste. Ricky was still examining it with a great deal of interest.

“I don’t suppose I could take a look at it, what do you say?” he asked hopefully. Caroline’s eyes widened and she was suddenly very conscious of the bright sunlight streaming though the diner, especially the beams coming through the window right next to her.

(She highly doubted Ricky had invested in UV-ray proof glass.)

Across from her in the booth, Klaus’ eyes had narrowed infinitesimally, and Caroline knew he was immediately on edge. Not wanting him to impulsively cause problems, Caroline gave Ricky her best apologetic smile. “Uh, I’m sorry, but this ring is sort of an heirloom. Don’t want to take too many chances.” She did her best to look contrite, and although his face fell for a moment, Ricky seemed to recover from the disappointment pretty quickly.

“Ain’t a problem, darlin’, now what looks good for you two?”

“Perhaps just two cokes to start?” said Klaus, his voice still holding an edge to it.

Caroline nodded in agreement and Ricky went off to the back of the kitchen with a wide smile.

“You should relax, Klaus,” said Caroline admonishingly. “You don’t have to get all growly hybrid at _everyone_ who asks a question. “

Klaus just gave her his infamous smug smile, “I think you’ll find that a thousand years of being on the run will do quite a bit for paranoia, love.”

Caroline just rolled her eyes and glanced around the empty diner again. “It’ll be nice to be back around people again,” she said absentmindedly. The whole empty desert thing was starting to get to her a little.

“You’ll love Arizona, once we arrive. The landscape there is one of my favourites in the world.”

“Really? Tell me about it.”

Klaus smiled at her eagerness, “The raw beauty of the stone formations is indescribable. And the Grand Canyon is quite a sight. I’ve actually got a few sketches of it, but they hardly capture the true beauty of it all.”

“Is that what you’ve been working on all morning,” asked Caroline, hoping he’d finally give her the satisfaction of knowing what he was so secretive about.

However, Klaus just chuckled. “Sorry love, but that’s something you’ll have to keep guessing at. I did some of the canyon sketches a few weeks ago when I first knew we’d be stopping by it.”

Caroline bit her lip and looked at him beseechingly, forming her best puppy-dog stare. “Could you at least show me those sketches?”

Klaus gulped, knowing that there was very little he wouldn’t give to her when she looked at him like that. “I’ll be right back, love.”

Caroline smiled in victory and Klaus just smirked, getting up from the booth and making his way outside.

“Here you go darlin’!” Ricky was back in front of the booth, holding two large glasses of Coke. Setting one down in front of Caroline, he idled around, looking at her expectantly.

“Oh, sorry, we still haven’t gotten a chance to look at the menu,” she said sheepishly.

“Ain’t a problem at all,” he replied, but still didn’t leave. Caroline didn’t understand why he was hanging around, but not wanting to be rude; she picked up the ice cold glass of pop and raised it to her lips, taking a large sip.

It fucking _burned._

She coughed and spluttered, her throat went raw and she dropped the glass to the table where it fell over, spilling its contents. Her hand grabbed the edge and as soon as her fingers met the cold liquid, she let out a cry, it seared her skin.

_Vervain._ There was vervain in the drink.

_‘There are werewolf packs all over the southern United States you know, the sunnier the climate, the better.’_

Her eyes widened in terror as her mind put two and two together, but she didn’t get to act on it before she heard two sharp popping noises and felt the flesh of her abdomen being ripped apart. Looking up, the easy grin on Ricky’s face was replaced with a stone cold mask, and he sneered at her before tossing his gun to the side and grabbing her left hand. It was still sore from the vervain so she could hardly stop him from yanking her daylight ring off her finger.

She knew what was going to happen, she had felt the sting of the sun before, but she had never, _never_ wanted to endure that again, especially as a way to die. Her captor yanked her by the hair and held her in the direct sunlight and Caroline shut her eyes, preparing for the worst, her thoughts a jumbled litany of pleas and apologies.

_‘No please, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, please –‘_

But she felt nothing.

For a millisecond she thought she was finally dead, but her senses were still flooded with the pain from the vervain and the wooden bullets.  As soon as she realized that she was still alive, she propelled her entire body towards Ricky and sent him flying into the linoleum floor. She wanted to try knocking him out or holding him down but as she tried to crawl off the booth’s seat, the wooden bullets lodged in her stomach shifted and she felt them searing her insides.

_“CAROLINE!”_

The pained gasp she let out coincided with Klaus kicking open the diner door clean off its hinges. She looked up to see his face darkened with hate, more murderous than anything she had ever experienced before. He shifted his incensed gaze from her to Ricky who was flailing around on the floor, trying to reach any sort of weapon but with an enraged roar, Klaus was on him and the man’s heart was in his hand in the next second.

He didn’t stop there though. His rage fuelled him so completely that he grasped the dead man’s head between his hands and with a sharp jerk, ripped it clean off the body. He would’ve gladly continued his assault on the corpse but a soft gasp from the booth drew his attention back to Caroline. She was huddled in the corner, her eyes wide and skin pale. He growled, wishing he could kill the bastard who had hurt her all over again, but settled for focusing his thoughts on her safety.

“You need blood,” he said, and turned his attention to the corpse. Dipping his finger into the blood that stained the body, he lifted it to his mouth and spit it out immediately. The bastard had been on vervain.

“Sweetheart, listen to me, I’m going to be back in a second, I’m going to get you a blood bag from the car, alright?” Klaus hoped his tone was even enough to calm her down and it seemed to work because she nodded silently and he rushed out.

Caroline managed to make her way out of the small booth and tried to stand up but her legs gave way. She sat on the cold floor, staring at the dead body of her attacker and remembering Klaus’ brutal rage. It should’ve scared her. It should’ve reminded her of what he was capable of.

But all it did was make her feel protected.

She couldn’t revel in any form of comfort though; she could feel her veins burning. In her pain addled state, she still wasn’t sure why she wasn’t a pile of ashes, but was pulled from her thoughts by Klaus suddenly kneeling at her side, lifting the straw of a blood bag to her lips. She slurped it down greedily but to her horror, she didn’t feel the relief she should’ve. Clawing at her shirt, she lifted it, exposing the bullet wounds, which were turning an angry red and purple.

_‘This isn’t normal.’_

It was a sad fact that Caroline had been shot with enough wooden bullets to know that these were out of the ordinary, and the low growl in Klaus’ chest told her he was thinking the same thing. He pulled her against him, cradling her against his chest. His fingers skimmed her skin gently, and the gentle press of his fingertips almost provided relief but the pain was intensifying rapidly.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” he said in a rushed whisper. “But this is going to hurt.”

He pulled out one of the bullets and she couldn’t help the cry that left he at the stinging sensation. With a grimace, Klaus inspected the bullet and then flung it away with a snarl.

“ _Fuck._ They’ve been laced with werewolf venom,” he said angrily. He turned Caroline in his arms so that she was kneeling in front of him and held her face between his hands. “Listen carefully love, I’m going to pull the other bullet out and then I’m going to feed you my blood. You’re going to be just fine, alright?” Caroline nodded, her eyes wide and scared. Gently, Klaus moved his hand to her stomach and within the next second, the second bullets laid on the floor. To her credit, Caroline had managed not to scream from the pain, instead her lips were pressed in a thin hard line and her eyes squeezed shut, letting only a few tears escape.

“You’re safe, sweetheart, you’re safe,” said Klaus gently. He brought her forward and turned her once gain so that her back was to his front. Taking the same position he had twice before, he brought his wrist to her mouth and she didn’t hesitate to bite in immediately, suppressing a moan as the rich taste of his blood slid down her throat. It did the trick instantly. She could feel her wounds knotting closed, the skin on her palms became fresh and new and her strength came back. And with that strength came clarity of mind, so that she was properly able to think about what had just happened to her.

Pulling away from Klaus’ wrist, she looked over at the bloody corpse. “He was a werewolf?” she asked, her voice a little raspy.

“I believe so,” replied Klaus. Then, she felt the soft press of his lips against the crown of her head. “I’m so sorry, love. _So_ sorry. I should never have left you alone, I should have –”

“Don’t do that,” she said, her voice weak but bitter. “I’m Caroline. This is what happens to me, I get kidnapped, I get shot, I get tortured, I’m used to –”

“NO!” Klaus cut her off sharply and turned her in his arms, cradling her face between his hands. “You’re alive. You _survived_ him, you always survive. You’re not a victim.”

Caroline appreciated his words, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to quell the anger at being targeted _again._ “If I always _survive,_ it’s because other people save me,” she said, her gaze falling to the ground.

Again, Klaus wasn’t about to let her slip into self-hatred, he tilted her chin up and forced her to meet his eyes. “But it hasn’t broken you. _Nothing_ can break you. You are so much stronger than anyone who might hope to try.” She was listening intently, he could tell, and he only hoped that she knew how much he meant what he said.

“You’re strong, beautiful and full of light, remember,” he said with a small smile, and his heart soared to see her lips tug upwards too.

“Thank you,” she said softly. Caroline frowned, realizing what else was wrong. “Wait, my ring…”

Klaus’ eyes widened and he looked around, seeing her daylight ring sitting underneath the table. In a flash, he reached for it and placed it back on her finger.

“Why didn’t I burn?” asked Caroline. Klaus was at a complete loss before he caught sight of the small pendant she had gotten earlier, hanging innocently around her neck. It made no sense, it wasn’t Lapis Lazuli, but the stone could’ve been embedded inside the rock…

_“I made those myself, you know.”_

_“Consider it a sign of good faith.”_

He shut his eyes in relief and sent a silent thank you towards Johanna. The witch was much more powerful than she let on, he knew, but to spell a daylight amulet without having even met the intended wearer was a feat. He suspected spending all one’s time in the desert with nothing to do but study grimoires had something to do with her advanced knowledge of the matter, but he was tempted to go back and kill her for not simply telling him that Caroline would be in danger later on.

_‘But she knew she would survive.’_

Witches were capricious at the best of times. Caroline was alive and safe in his arms, and Johanna’s gesture undoubtedly meant that she hadn’t been lying about New Orleans. He’d call Elijah about the Devereux witches later, but for now, his main priority was Caroline’s safety.

“Perhaps we’ll send Johanna a thank you note,” he said, staring at the small stone around Caroline’s neck. She caught on and rubbed the amulet between her fingers in wonder.

“Are you alright to walk, love?” asked Klaus.

She nodded and gingerly stood up, leaning on Klaus for support. He kept an arm around her waist and guided her outside, back to the car. He thought for a moment about doing something about the body in the diner, but with a glance up and down the deserted highway, he decided to just let it rot in the heat.

_‘Let one of his pack members find him and know what happens to those who try to be heroes.’_

Instead of opening the passenger door like usual, Klaus opened the back door and helped Caroline lie across the backseat. “Get some rest, sweetheart,” he said gently, taking the keys from her pocket.

Caroline managed to nod and let the shock catch up to her. As the car started, the motions of the moving car relaxed her and she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she felt a hand on her leg, shaking her awake carefully. Propping herself up on her elbows, she met Klaus’ wide smile as he leant in through the open door. The sky behind him was still light, though not the bright sky blue it had been all day. Taking his hand, she allowed him to pull her out of the car and lead her around to the hood, which they both sat on, looking to the horizon. They were parked a few yards off the roads in the middle of nowhere.

“We crossed into New Mexico about an hour ago,” explained Klaus. “And this is one of the most beautiful sights this area has to offer.”

Caroline still wasn’t sure what exactly he was getting at, but mirrored his relaxed pose, looking out west. She wasn’t sure if it happened gradually or all at once, but then the sun dipped closer to the line between earth and sky and she knew why he had brought her here. The soft orange glow of the sunset melded into pinks and purple further up and she could honestly say she had never seen more vibrant colours painting the sky. Amazed, she let her eyes feast on the abundance of different hues and the two sat in silence, letting the beauty of the moment speak for itself.

It was Klaus who broke the lull. “Here you go, love,” he said, handing her his sketchbook. “It’s the last one that I’ve been working on all morning.”

She broke out into a wide smile, quickly flipping through the pages. There were some of the drawings he had mentioned earlier, of the rock formations and the canyon, but on the very last page, there was a detailed sketch of _her._ She recognized her outfit from that night in Oklahoma City, when she had twirled around in the middle of the street. He had drawn her looking so happy, and Caroline traced the lines of the sketch, wondering if this picture of joy was really of her.

“Thank you,” she said softly, looking up at his expectant gaze. “It’s beautiful.”

Her approval delighted him and she was pleased to see him looking happy again, after the rage he had displayed earlier. Shutting the book, she placed it behind them and then shifted closer to him. If Klaus was surprised by her move, he didn’t say it; instead, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her in close to his side. She relished the feeling, but didn’t say anything to disturb the peace.

Things were changing between them, she could feel it. And she should say something to acknowledge it (to encourage it?) but despite everything she had been through, she was still scared of what taking the plunge meant. She was afraid, and while she didn’t like feeling like that, she could stand it a little longer if it meant things remained like _this._  

Wrapped up in each other, Klaus and Caroline sat in silence until the sun dipped below the horizon.

_It's a long shot and I say why not_  
_If I say forget it I know that I'll regret it_  
_It's a long shot just to beat these odds_  
_The chance is we won't make it_  
_but I know if I don't take it there's no chance_  
_'Cause you're the best I got_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple of points:
> 
> 1) Just saying again, Hayley isn't pregnant so Jane-Ann Devereux wasn't killed doing magic, she and her sister are considering allying with the Mikaelsons to take out Marcel. But that's all background stuff.
> 
> 2) I know the mythology holds that the lapis lazuli jewelry must be spelled to specific vampires, but I like to think Johanna has spent most of her time researching that very specific magic, and so took some liberties.
> 
> Chapter title and song lyrics are from 'Long Shot' by Kelly Clarkson. The song Caroline is singing at the beginning is 'I Love It' by Icona Pop


	6. Accidentally in Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally reached the parts of America that I've actually seen, so the accuracy level of all sights described should be marginally better. Marginally being the operative word. 
> 
> Disclaimer: All characters are the property of WB.

_So she said what's the problem baby_   
_What's the problem I don't know_   
_Well maybe I'm in love_   
_Think about it every time_   
_I think about it_   
_Can't stop thinking 'bout it_   
  
_How much longer will it take to cure this_   
_Just to cure it cause I can't ignore it if it's love_   
_Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love_   
_  
_

The SUV kicked up more dust as they sped along the uphill road. Caroline held on to the edge of her seat and did her best not to squeal as Klaus pushed the car faster up the road to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, whizzing past the forest that bordered them on either side. All she had wanted to do was take one of the trains up to the park; it had probably been a bad idea to say that they were the fastest way up there. And the glint in Klaus’ eyes when he asked her if she was “ _absolutely sure”_ of that fact should have tipped her off that he was not going to let that comment go lightly because of course, some people just had to take _everything_ as a challenge.

“Jesus Klaus, slow down!”

“Relax love, where’s your sense of thrill?” He shot her a grin that he probably thought was dashing, she just thought he looked maniacal.

“Look out, look out, look out!” yelled Caroline as he took a sharp right, nearly hitting a tree and narrowly avoided sending them into ditch. She braced one hand on the roof of the car and the other against the window, hoping that whatever he had learned in a thousand years included off-road driving and necessary first aid in the event of a car crash.

(Somehow, the fact that she’s a rather easily healed vampire just seems to slip her mind.)

She was spared from any more of Klaus’ stunt driving skills when they veered into a parking lot and effortlessly coasted to a stop right into one of the empty spaces.

(Show off.)

Klaus leant back in his seat, his smug grin displaying about ten times more arrogance than usual and turned to face Caroline who was still frozen in her earlier position with her hands on the ceiling and against the window.

“You’re insane,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady. “You’re a thousand years old and you’re completely insane.”

Klaus just laughed at her state of shock, “We made it in less than thirty minutes, I’d say this was definitely the faster way to travel.”

“Barely alive,” she muttered and he merely smirked as he got out. Caroline followed suit, taking in a breath of the hot Arizona air, and surveyed her surroundings. The small parking lot they had chosen was just a few yards from the South rim trail but the full vista of the canyon was hidden by some trees. She was just about to zip to the edge before her world went completely dark and she felt the warmth of a body right behind her and the soft press of fingers against her eyelids. Before she could panic and throw her ‘attacker’ over her shoulder, her mind registered that it was just Klaus.

(How did she always know when it was him?)

“Klaus, if you wanted to kidnap me and take me into the middle of the woods, you should have taken that last left before the parking lot,” said Caroline, confused and a little annoyed. This was the Grand Canyon, she wanted to see it for herself!

The hybrid just chuckled lowly in her ear and she had to work to suppress the shiver that ran down her spine. “Relax love, I’m just trying to make the experience memorable. Do you trust me?”

“Yes, of course –”She stopped abruptly, realizing what she had just said, and if the sudden stillness of Klaus’ body was anything to go by, he understood the significance of her words. She wondered if she should say something to retract them, but that would be _so_ unfair, and Bitch-Caroline had taken a vacation a long time ago. Besides….her words were true. She trusted Klaus. Completely.

_‘Well how about that?’_

Caroline wished she could see what Klaus was thinking but he said nothing, just began to walk forward slowly, forcing Caroline to move ahead of him, still blind. She was hesitant but he guided her steadily for a minute until they came to a stop.

“Alright sweetheart. Take it all in.” He removed his hands from her eyes and rested them on her shoulders, squeezing slightly at the small gasp she gave. The canyon stretched out for _miles_ in front of them, the sloping sides going down so far that the Colorado River at the bottom was completely out of sight.

“This is _incredible_!” said Caroline in awe, her face breaking out into a wide smile. It was a sight she had always heard about and seen in pictures, but nothing could measure up to the real thing. She suppressed the urge to jump up and down; instead, she fished around in the small purse that hung at her side until she had found her camera. Instantly, she started taking picture after picture, Caroline was determined to preserve this moment as best as she could.

“Can you believe this?” she asked Klaus, not able to look away from the magnificent vista.

“It’s a sight to behold,” he replied softly, though if Caroline had turned back to look at him, she would’ve noticed that his attention was focused solely on her.

Caroline snapped dozens of pictures of the every corner of the canyon she could see (which were admittedly very few) as her and Klaus ambled down the trail that snaked along the rim. There were no barriers to stop anyone from going over the edge, so she made sure to watch her footing, though she suspected Klaus would prevent anything too bad from happening to her. She did _trust_ him, after all.

“I can’t believe how old this place is,” she said, amazed at the facts printed on an information sign along the trail. “And I thought _you_ were old!”

Klaus just laughed, “I _am_ old, sweetheart. A thousand years is quite a bit for a creature such as us, you wouldn’t believe what you can see in that time.”

Caroline considered his words, the sudden thought of how ancient he really was just hitting her. It wasn’t something she really thought about, old was old to her teenage mind. Stefan and Damon were old, Katherine older still but Klaus – he was on a whole different level. It wasn’t something she knew how to wrap her mind around, eighteen years felt like forever; she could barely begin to comprehend one thousand.

“I wonder how old I’ll make to?” mused Caroline out loud.

Klaus reached out and squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry love, you’re going to be around for a good long while.” His voice rang with absolute certainty and Caroline wondered if he was a little too confident for his own good.

“If the past two years are any indication, you might not want to speak too soon.” Her voice was light but she avoided eye contact and he knew immediately that her mind was on what had happened in Texas a few days back.

He stopped her in her tracks by turning her towards him and cupping her face gently. “A good, _long,_ while, love. I meant that.”

She didn’t know how to respond to his assurance so she settled for giving him her brightest smile and it must have conveyed her quiet gratitude. Caroline doubted he’d be the one to save her for the rest of her life(though she had an inkling that he’d disagree), but for now, it meant a lot to hear him so certain that she had hundreds of years ahead of her. If Klaus’ past was hard to imagine, then so was her future, however long it could last, but she was fine with just living in the present for now.

“Well, maybe I’ll eventually be as old as this canyon is now,” she said teasingly, pulling away from his hold and taking his hand again.

“I’m not sure any of us could ever get to that point love, but I think I prefer that. After a thousand years, it’s nice to see something that can make you feel young.”

“What’s the matter grandpa, feeling like you’re getting up there in years?”

Klaus turned to her with raised eyebrows, “ _Grandpa_?”

Caroline just giggled and snapped another picture. “Sorry Klaus, you’re _old._ Like really, really, old. I’m afraid you reached grandpa status a while ago.”

He actually looked mildly affronted and Caroline suppressed a full out laugh, albeit very badly.

“I’ll have you know I’m twenty five.”

“Uh, you’re a thousand and twenty five, sorry to inform you!” she said in a singsong voice, continuing to admire the view. Looking back, she found the hybrid pouting slightly before his eyes met hers and he suddenly smirked.

“Your preoccupation with my age seems very sudden, love. Are you afraid it might have an effect on how people perceive our _relationship_?”

Caroline’s eyes widened and she sputtered for a few moments before she could form words. “Our – but we’re not – I’m not – we don’t have a relationship!” She had tried to sound steady and stern but  his words had gotten to her and she could feel the blush rising in her cheeks.

“Whatever you say, Caroline!” Klaus turned and continued down the trail, grinning like a madman and leaving an indignant blonde behind him. Caroline tried as hard as she could to summon up anger or even just irritation, but she just felt mildly uncomfortable at how quickly he had shot through her defenses. After all, she had nothing to worry about when it came to other people, right? They were friends, strangers’ opinions didn’t matter…

_‘That’s right, keep lying to yourself.’_

She shook her head at the traitorous thoughts that had crept in. This was the dangerous place she was doing her damn best to avoid, but she couldn’t hold out much longer. For now though, she settled for shaking her head and looking up the trail for wherever Klaus had gone. After walking for a minute, she found him sitting on an outcropping of the trail, his legs dangling over the edge and hands resting behind him. She smiled at how relaxed he looked and walked up, dropping down next to him and letting her legs hang over the sloping edge of the rim.

“It’s an amazing view,” she observed, and Klaus let out a soft “Hmm” in agreement. Although his earlier words still rang in her head, she didn’t want to let them affect their relationship now, so she decided to prove that she was still fine about everything. Pulling out her camera, she held it in front of her, lens facing both vampires.

“What do you say? A picture like the one we took in St. Louis?” she asked Klaus. His face lit up and he nodded in agreement. She leant in a little closer and put the camera up in front of them, readying her finger on the button.

“Say cheese!” She pushed the button but a split millisecond before the lens snapped she felt something soft and warm press against her cheek and the picture was taken before she could react.

Turning to Klaus in shock, he simply grinned. Fingers slightly shaking (she hoped he didn’t see that) she pulled up the picture and found a shot of her smiling happily to the camera and Klaus pressing his lips against her cheek in a soft kiss. It was so… _intimate._ There was nothing of the big bad hybrid, the one who could rain down hell. There wasn’t even a trace of the man who had tried so hard to seduce her with his flattery and promises. There was just a guy doing something so _innocent_ that if she hadn’t been affected by him before, it was impossible to not be now. His gesture had been as soft and as sweet as she had remembered from weeks back just after graduation, but then they had been saying a sort of goodbye, there had been a reason behind it. This was spur of the moment, and she thought she should be a little angry, clearly he had crossed a line this time…

Except he hadn’t. Because she didn’t mind. Because as she came back down to reality, she realized she was smiling widely as she looked down at the picture.

“It’s a good shot.” She turned to him, wondering if he would say anything more but he just winked and got to his feet, extending a hand to help her up.

“Let’s go love, there’s still a lot to see.”

* * *

 

The next day, Caroline lay on her bed in her Flagstaff hotel room, staring at that one picture of her and Klaus at the Canyon. She couldn’t get over it. She didn’t know how to describe it, except to say that it was such a personal moment, one that she hadn’t minded at all. She didn’t know what to be more shocked at, his actions or her reaction. With a huff, she tossed her camera on the bed beside her and decided not to give it too much thought before she drove herself more nuts than usual.

Glancing around for her phone, she contemplated taking the time to call home and check in on her mom. Klaus had told her that he had some ‘errands’ to run and she’d told him that she’d be fine in the hotel on her own for the day. He’d been hesitant, she could tell, though he hadn’t voiced his fears. It was understandable after what had happened in that diner, but Caroline had decided to be firm on this and insisted he go along without her. After all, he couldn’t be there all the time.

However, now she was bored and had no idea how to pass the time. Deciding that calling home wouldn’t be the worst idea; she picked up her cellphone and waited eagerly for her mom to pick up.

_“Sweetie? How are you?”_

“Mom, it’s so good to hear your voice!” Caroline felt the weight of her earlier worries lift, her mom sounded so happy and relaxed.

“ _Caroline, where are you right now?”_

“I’m in Arizona, I’m staying in Flagstaff. Mom, I saw the Grand Canyon yesterday, it was amazing!”

She could practically hear her mother smiling as she spoke. “ _Tell me all about it.”_

She described everything she had seen as best as she could. She told her mom how hot it got out there; she described the arid landscape of the desert, the beauty of the rock formations. She told her mom everything about her trip, except for that one crucial detail.

She still couldn’t bring herself to admit the truth about Klaus.

It was a cowardly move, she knew that. But if her mom knew the truth and was disappointed in her…she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle that.

_“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Caroline. It’s all pretty quiet here. Damon and Elena are laying low, I’m working on helping them keep Jeremy hidden. I still haven’t seen or heard from Bonnie though.”_

Caroline sighed at the reminder of her witch friend. “I’m sure Bonnie’s fine, Mom. She just needs some time.”

The two women remained in conversation for a few more minutes, Sherriff Forbes probing for more details of where Caroline was going and when she was thinking about coming back. For her part, Caroline dodged the questions as best as she could, not wanting to commit to a date when she’d have to part ways with Klaus. After saying goodbye and promising to be safe, she deliberated for a moment before dialing Bonnie’s number – again, voicemail.

“Hey Bon, it’s me again. I hope you’re doing great, and getting lots of rest. I’m in Arizona right now, and it’s incredible here, I wish I could tell you all about it! I can’t wait until I see you again; tell Abby I said ‘hi’. Love you!” With a sigh, she threw her phone down and stared at the ceiling. Talking to Matt was an option but she didn’t know where he was in Europe and she didn’t want to wake him up in the middle of the night. She wasn’t too keen on calling Elena, and Stefan’s phone had been disconnected a few days ago.

_‘He must really not want to be found right now.’_

Without anybody else to call, she spent the rest of the afternoon flipping through local television channels, bored out of her mind. The shadows cast in the room were getting longer when a sharp knock startled her. Flashing over to the door, she made sure to check who was on the other side and grinned at seeing the distorted image of Klaus on the other side of the peephole.

“Where’ve you been all day?” she asked when she opened up the door. She had meant to sound annoyed but it was eclipsed by her curiosity. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, giving her a Mona Lisa smile.

“Get ready, love, we’ve got a bit of a drive to where we’re going.”

“We’re leaving now? Isn’t it too late?”

“Not for what I’ve got planned.”

She wanted to interrogate him and find out exactly what it was he was being so secretive about but he wouldn’t say a word. Once she was ready, they made their way down to the car and started off. After about twenty minutes of trying to get him to give up their destination, she gave up, paying attention to their surroundings.

They weren’t going back up to the main section of the Grand Canyon, she knew that, but he was still driving north towards it. After he took a couple of turns he had veered off the main roads and was taking them on a path skirting the gorge that was an offshoot of the canyon. It took hours and Caroline was content to watch the sun set but he seemed to have a very specific destination in mind.

After a while, they finally came to a stop. He had parked them near the edge of a small gorge, with no sign of anything for miles. It was way past dusk by now, and Caroline wondered exactly what the hybrid next to her had in mind.

“Alright love, just stay in here for a moment,” said Klaus, Cheshire grin still firmly in place.

“What the hell Klaus, why are we out here?”

“Just bear with me, love, I promise this’ll be worth it.” His voice was so earnest that it was hard not to believe him, so she nodded in resignation and sat back in her seat. He got out and pulled out something from the trunk and she watched him through the rear view mirror.

_‘Is he setting up tents?!’_

Deciding to ignore his earlier direction, she flashed out of the car and went around to where he was standing, putting the finishing touches on the second of two large tents.

“Klaus, you should probably know I don’t do camping very well. My dad tried taking me a few times when I was thirteen but I hated the bugs and I’m pretty sure a bear tried to attack us once – “

He just chuckled and straightened up. “There aren’t any bears out here, I can guarantee that. Now, wolves on the other hand…”

She groaned, “Yeah, I get it, you’re half-wolf, _ha-ha_. Seriously, what are we doing here? Is this what you’ve been doing all day?”

He walked over to the still open trunk of the car and pulled out a large blanket, spreading it out in front of the tents. “I spent the day looking for some quick supplies. I was struck by sudden inspiration.”

“Artists,” she muttered under her breath. “So, the reason for a campout in the middle of nowhere is…”

He smiled softly and walked in front of her, taking both her hands in his. “Look up, sweetheart.”

She was still confused, but slowly she craned her neck back and gasped softly as she realized why he had brought her here. Billions of bright stars were beginning to dot the sky, more than she had ever seen before. Up here, the air was clear and away from the reaches of the nearest city lights and the sight took her breath away.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, trying to take in every single point of light. A soft tugging on her hand reminded her that Klaus was still next to her, guiding her down to sit on the blanket.

“I know the camping aspect might not be your cup of tea, but I thought you might like to see this nonetheless. There’s not a lot of places that offer a view like this.”

“This is just – this is incredible,” she said, eyes still fixed on the night sky.

He smiled and raised a hand to point out some of the brighter stars, naming them. She loved to listen to him talk and slowly, (she couldn’t remember actually doing it) they both found themselves lying down beside each other, laughing as they took turns pointing to different constellations.

“I used to love stargazing you know,” she said wistfully. “When I was a kid, I used to climb out onto my roof with Bonnie and Elena when we had sleepovers.”

 “I used to watch the stars with my brother.”

She licked her lips nervously, wondering if she should pry. “Which one? Kol?”

He remained silent for a few moments before answering her question. “Actually, my youngest brother, Henrik.”

Caroline contained her gasp at the mention of Henrik. She vaguely knew the story from what Elena had told her a few months ago, but she hadn’t thought about it much.

“He died when you guys were human, right?” she asked tentatively.

“Yes. We lived near some werewolves and Henrik, he’d always…he’d always wanted to see what they look like when they turned. On the night of one full moon, we decided to finally try.” He took a deep breath.

“Klaus, you don’t –”

“He was caught by one of the wolves that night. They clawed right through him.”

Caroline was struck by how _quiet_ he was. Not just in volume, but in presence. Where was the man who had roared threats at her when he thought she had betrayed him? Who had viciously torn out the hearts of dozens of people? Hell, where was the man who had flirted with her, laughed with her?

_“There is a part of you that is human…and anybody capable of love is capable of being saved.”_

Her own words haunted her. Carefully, she reached her hand out and intertwined it with his. She turned her head to face him but his gaze remained fixated on the stars.

“So, you and Henrik used to watch the stars together?” she asked softly.

“We did. He loved the stories that came with them. Sometimes I’d tell him the old legends, but every now and then we’d make up our own.”

“It sounds like you two were close.”

He gave a little sigh, “We were all close to him. He was the baby of the family and when he died –” he stopped, and finally turned to look at Caroline’s curious gaze. “Well, you know how the rest of the story goes.”

She gave him a small, sympathetic smile. She knew exactly where the story went, and nothing could ever change all that had happened, but she was in no mood to start dwelling on everything that could have possibly occurred over the past thousand years.  Instead, she looked back up to the sea of lights and tried to pick out familiar shapes. The two lay in silence for a while before Caroline started to worry that he had lost himself too deeply in his dark memories.

“Hey Klaus?”

“Hmm?”

“You said that you used to tell Henrik the legends about the stars?”

“Yes, we did.”

She bit her lip shyly. “Could you tell me some of them?”

She couldn’t see it, but a wide grin broke out across Klaus’ face. Raising their intertwined hands, he pointed at one exceptionally bright star.

“Well, once upon a time, when the world still believed in the old Gods, there was this warrior….”

* * *

 

She trusted him. Really.

After all, that was the main reason she had asked him to take her on this trip, wasn’t it?  She fully trusted him. The main problem had been admitting this little fact, to herself and to him. But it had felt good to tell him that day at the canyon, it was the truth and she wasn’t ashamed. She just wished he hadn’t decided to take advantage of her newly realized faith in him.

“Are we there yet?!” she asked, her voice a high pitched whine. Normally  she would cringe at reverting to something that human-Caroline used to do, but this was ridiculous. He had promised her the car ride to their next destination would be relatively short, but this time, he had made one condition.

She was blindfolded.

It was insane, she should’ve never agreed to it, but there she sat in the passenger seat, blinded by one of her own scarves. He’d agreed to let her pick the music since she was going along with this, and she had retaliated by blasting every Spice Girls song on her iPod the entire way.

(Everybody was allowed a few guilty pleasures.)

“We’re almost there, love, I promise,” he assured her, putting a little more pressure on the accelerator. As much as he wanted to see her light up at where he was taking them, he could only handle listening to 90’s Pop for so long. Spotting a familiar sign in the distance, he grinned and slowed the car, waiting until they were almost in front of it before giving Caroline the all-clear.

“Alright love, take a look.”

She whipped the scarf off her head and looked around eagerly, her eyes landing on a sign she had seen dozens of times on TV.

‘ _Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!’_

“We’re in _Las Vegas_?!” she asked elatedly.

“I thought you might enjoy America’s playground,” he replied smugly, enjoying her enthusiasm as she pressed her nose against the glass of the car, craning her neck to find the towering hotels on the Strip. The palm trees swayed under the bright blue sky and hotels lined them on either side, each more glamorous than the last.

“The city where you can visit Venice, Paris and New York all at once” mused Klaus as they passed a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

“This city is amazing!” squealed Caroline, her camera out in full force, snapping as many shots as they could. She was mildly disappointed when the car turned off onto a side road but quickly recovered her awe when she realized he had driven them into one of the giant hotel complexes.

“This is our stop, love.”

_The Bellagio._

She was giddy. Klaus had happily gotten them the best rooms at the hotels they had stayed in so far, but this was on a whole different level. Once parked, their bags were immediately taken up by a bellhop and Klaus led her into a marbled elevator which traveled for several minutes before finally letting them off into a small lounge where a concierge desk stood. Quickly, he checked them in and then walked back to Caroline, taking her hand and pulling her into another elevator where they travelled even higher.

Finally, they came to a stop. Walking out of the elevator they were met with a huge set of wooden doors, which Klaus used his keycard to unlock. And Caroline officially lost her mind.

“Oh… _wow”_ she mumbled, for lack of a better description. This was sheer opulence. The mosaic marble floor shone underneath the light of the chandelier in the foyer, with floor to ceiling fountains curtaining their entrance into the living room. The huge windows offered them a bird’s eye view of the entire Las Vegas Strip, the glass of the buildings reflecting the bright sunshine.

Wandering around the massive suit, Caroline found two bedrooms, each with large ensuite bathrooms, but what really caught her eye were the giant king size beds sitting in each of them. Finding her bags already set in one of the rooms, she let out a loud laugh and jumped on the bed, sinking down into the sinfully soft mattress.

“Enjoying yourself, love?” asked Klaus from the doorway. She propped herself up on her elbows and grinned at him before bouncing off the bed and skipping over to him, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug before she could think better of it.

“Thank you so much Klaus,” she said happily, her voice muffled by his jacket. She’d been close to him before, more and more over the past few weeks, but never like this. She could feel the hard panes of his body flush against hers, his scent invaded her nostrils, for some reason, it reminded her of the woods. She felt him chuckle before he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up, running them out into the living room and sitting her down on a barstool in front of a fully stocked bar. Reaching down under the counter, he pulled out a (probably ridiculously expensive) bottle of champagne with two glasses, and Caroline giggled as he popped the cork.

“Our thing?” she asked, grinning.

“I thought it would be appropriate,” he said, handing her a glass. “A toast! To a perfect summer.”

“To living in the lap of luxury,” she added, casting another look around the lavish suite.

“I’m glad you like it,” he said, smirking.

“Really, a girl could get used to this.” She kept her voice light, but the thought stayed with her, that this was the type of life she could expect if she stayed with him. She wanted to slap herself just for having the thought, what kind of horrible person rejected somebody for so long only to give in when she realized how rich they were?

Sipping his champagne, Klaus was unspeakably glad to see her so exuberant. After all he had told her about himself, his family, he felt like he needed to thank her, to shower her with the best the world could offer. She was a queen. She deserved to be treated like it.

Setting down his glass, he looked out the window to see the set getting lower, and the lights of the city coming out in full force. Turning to the blonde who sat in silence, he extended a hand and pulled her off the stool.

“You should go get ready, love.”

“What’re we going to do?”

“We’re in Vegas, Caroline. Let’s paint the town red.”

Falling for Klaus meant falling a long way down, she knew that. But right now, she just didn’t give a damn.

He guided them through the floor of the hotel’s casino and Caroline was almost overwhelmed at the sheer amount of noise and lights. She was incredibly glad she had packed the short, black dress she was currently wearing, it made her feel like part of the upscale crowd that was milling around the card tables. Klaus looked effortlessly handsome, as usual, though the effect was hitting her tenfold tonight. The dark shirt and blazer accentuated his lean frame and they both drew eyes wherever they went.

(And why wouldn’t they? Together, they were _hot._ )

They tried their hands at some of the roulette tables and blackjack –

(“Klaus, did you just _compel_ him to give you that card?)

– before moving on to the slot machines which they didn’t last too long at because Klaus insisted that she was becoming a little too fixated on winning. Laughing, they spilled out into the Strip, mingling with the hordes of tourists that were wandering up and down the sidewalks. They strolled along a few blocks, admiring the sights and sounds, the scantily dressed showgirls and drunk bachelors enjoying their last nights of freedom. Klaus’ arm was wrapped possessively around her waist and she leant into his side as they walked, and maybe it had been all the champagne they had drunk over the evening but she felt as if she could happily just melt into him.

“What do you think of the city, love?” he asked, his hot breath fanning over her ear.

“I think it’s a good thing I don’t have many vices,” she said with a giggle.

“I wish I could say the same,” he replied, his voice husky as he rubbed the fabric of her dress between his fingers. Caroline gulped and pulled away slightly, realizing they had returned back in front of the giant fountain in front of the Bellagio hotel. Extracting herself from Klaus’ hold, she walked towards the railing, admiring the sight of the entire hotel lit up. The fountains wouldn’t start their show for a few minutes, but it was nice to catch her breath.

“So, have you spent a lot of time in Vegas – Klaus?” She looked around; noticing that for the first time all night the hybrid wasn’t right next to her. Turning back, she spotted him chatting to a group of young girls.

“You’ll just have to walk up that way for a few minutes, and it should be right on your left,” Caroline heard him say. She smiled to herself; the sight of the big bad hybrid giving directions just seemed so _weird._ That smile quickly dropped however, when one of the girls (who was practically spilling out of a horrendously pink dress) leant forward and with an obnoxious giggle put her arm on Klaus’ bicep.

“Wow, you have such a hot accent! What is that, Australian?” She giggled again, obviously too drunk to care about coming on strong and before Caroline knew what she was doing, she was next to Klaus and prying the bitch’s hand off, before linking her own arm with his and leaning in in close.

“The fountain show’s going to start soon, come get a good spot to watch it with me?” she asked, ignoring the gaggle who were glaring daggers at her. Turning to them, she gave them her best bitchy smile and waved her fingers. “Guess you girls should get going now! Bye!” She dragged Klaus off without sparing them a backwards glance.

“Sluts,” she muttered under her breath once they leant against the railing again. She looked up to see Klaus barely containing his amusement. “Don’t laugh at me, Mikaelson!”

He wasn’t able to help himself and nearly doubled over in laughter. She felt herself lightening up too and they both relaxed.

“You’re quite the force to be reckoned with, you know that?” he said, positioning himself right next to her.

“Well, you looked like you could use some help.”

He just laughed again. “Are you enjoying yourself, love?”

She looked at him in disbelief. “You seriously have to ask me that?” For a moment he looked uncertain, and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes, “Klaus, this is amazing. _All_ of it.”

He let out a breath and grinned. “Just making sure, sweetheart. I’ve noticed you’ve become –”  he stopped suddenly, and looked a bit hesitant to continue but Caroline was having none of it.

“Become what?” she prodded.

“You’ve become a lot more comfortable around me.”

She frowned, realizing that he had been the one to finally say something about the changing status of their relationship. “Well, I guess I’ve finally…relaxed, you know. I mean this evening has just been so much fun, and everything you done for us here has been so incredible –”

“Well, a life in the lap of luxury does wonders for one’s contentment, so I can understand that.”

She frowned, unhappy with what he had said for some reason, before it all finally clicked together. “No,” she said firmly.

“Sorry?”

“ _No_. I thought so too – that I was feeling this happiness and warmth because of how extravagant everything was, but I think…I’ve been feeling like this since that skeevy motel in Missouri, or when we camped out near the Grand Canyon.” She turned to him and faced him fully, noting how he looked like he was holding his breath and looked at her with wide, hopeful eyes.

Licking her lips, she prepared herself for what she wanted to say. Except, she had no idea how to say it. “Klaus…I guess, I’m trying to say…well, I grateful for everything you’ve done and how you’ve helped me and I’m really glad we’ve gotten to know each other really well…” she trailed off, cringing inwardly at how awkward she was making this. Vaguely she heard the first notes of classical music start up, indicating the show was about to start but she couldn’t bring herself to look away from Klaus’ face.

_‘Time to fall.’_

Taking a breath, she reached up and grabbed the lapels of his blazer and stood on her tiptoes. As the first bright blast of water shot into the air behind them, she pressed his lips to his.

He was stiff at first, probably in shock. But just as quickly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, enthusiastically responding. His tongue begged entrance into her mouth which she eagerly granted, a low moan escaping the back of her throat. The small noise spurred him on and he eagerly plundered her mouth, one hand wandering up to entangle itself in her hair. Caroline pressed herself closer to him, and let her hands drift up to the back of his neck where she played with the curls at the nape of his neck.

A wolf-whistle from somewhere nearby caused them to reluctantly break apart, though they remained wrapped up in one another.

“That was…something,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

He chuckled lowly into her hair. “Definitely something,” he whispered in her ear.

The fountains behind them reached their crescendo, but that was the hardly the most amazing sight to be witnessed. Silhouetted against the warm glow were two people who were finally taking the plunge.

_Come on, Come on_  
Move a little closer   
Come on, Come on  
I want to hear you whisper  
Come on, Come on   
Settle down inside my love

_We’re accidentally in love_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a kiss! 
> 
> Chapter title and song lyrics are from "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows. (One of my absolute favourite love songs, especially in the summer.)


	7. Catch Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally justify the 'M' rating.

_Before I fall too fast_   
_Kiss me quick but make it last_   
_So I can see how badly this will hurt me when you say goodbye_   
  
_Keep it sweet, keep it slow_   
_Let the future pass and don't let go_   
_But tonight I could fall too soon into this beautiful moonlight_

The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas was supposed to be the height of luxury. Wait, no, it wasn’t _supposed_ to be; it _was_ the height of luxury. And Caroline was traveling with a man who had an obscene amount of wealth at his disposal, thus allowing for their little indulgence into the finer side of life.

The point of all this being, she distinctly remembered the king sized bed in her room being much, much more comfortable. And definitely not made of … _marble?_

Groaning, she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

_‘Well that explains it.’_

She had fallen asleep in the bathtub.

Caroline couldn’t decide if she was more confused or irritated. Then again, she was in Vegas, maybe this was all part of the experience. Providing of course she could remember what _experience_ she had had that landed her in the tub in her ensuite bathroom instead of on Egyptian cotton sheets. She hauled her arms up and braced them on the sides of the tub for leverage, easing herself up. The tub was the size of a Jacuzzi so it was big enough for one girl to get a good night’s sleep but she was pretty sure she had incurred a kink in her back that would last for months, vampire healing be damned.

Once she was sitting on the rim of the bathtub, she swung her legs over the side and stood up on wobbling legs, making her way over to where the light switch was. Once the room was lit up, she caught sight of her reflection in the giant mirror.

_‘What the hell happened last night?!’_

She looked like a _mess_. Her normally perfectly coiffed hair resembled a rats nest, her makeup was smudged and dark circles had formed under her eyes. Her dress from last night was still on, but her heels were lying somewhere near the door. And her _head_ …it was pounding like a jackhammer. Trying to remember how she had ended up like this, she thought back to the beginning of last evening; she and Klaus had gone through the casino, they had walked on the strip, they had seen the fountains…

_‘I kissed him. I kissed Klaus.’_

_Klaus._ They had done it. They had finally crossed the point of no return. But that still didn’t bridge the gap in her memory fully… Stifling a gasp, Caroline looked up and caught her panicked reflection. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back slightly and raised her left hand, forcing herself to look at her ring finger.

It was bare.

She let out a comically large sigh of relief and slumped against the counter. Right, no Elvis-officiated two minute wedding ceremonies had occurred, whatever had actually happened, it couldn’t possibly be worse. Gripping the counter, she squeezed her eyes shut and focused on what had happened after she had kissed Klaus

* * *

 

_The two vampires strolled back up to their suite, arm in arm. Caroline didn’t know what she was expecting to happen once they got there, but for the moment, she was too lost on cloud nine to really care. The memory of his lips against hers was short circuiting her rationality, and there was a small (but steadily growing) part of her that was greatly anticipating where this night could go._

_For his part, Klaus kept the blonde close to his side, his arm around her waist was as tight as iron. He had finally gotten a taste of her, she had finally seen what he had to offer and he would be damned if he let her get away now. He could feel any restraint he had being stretched to its limits, while he didn’t want to scare Caroline off, he would happily take her back up to the room and ravish her until the only coherent word she could form would be his name._

_They exited the elevator and quickly entered the room. Caroline pulled away from Klaus, but he quickly caught her hand and spun her around, back into his embrace._

_“Not so fast, darling. Join me for a drink?”_

_Caroline gave him a lazy grin, “Are you trying to get me drunk, Mr. Mikaelson?” she asked coyly._

_Klaus just smirked and led her over to the bar, reaching down and pulling out a bottle. “I don’t think I’d have to try hard for that,” he said, noting her slightly wobbly stance. As he poured more champagne for them, a shrill ringtone interrupted the pleasant silence. He pulled out the phone and saw that Elijah was trying to get a hold of him, but whatever his big brother wanted, it could wait until the morning._

_(Or maybe the next afternoon.)_

_As he raised his glass in toast, the phone rang again and he jammed his finger down on the button that would shut it up, hating the interruption to the evening._

_“Aren’t you going to answer that?” asked Caroline._

_“I really don’t think it’s necessary –” The phone cut him off again, and Caroline frowned, craning her neck to make out who was being so insistent._

_“Klaus, maybe you should get that, Elijah might have something really important to tell you.”_

_With a slight growl, he nodded tersely and she gave him an encouraging smile._

_“Elijah, this had better bloody well be important,” he said, stalking off to his room. Caroline was left in the middle of the suite, and she heaved a small sigh – but was it relief or disappointment? She knew that she shouldn’t logically jump into anything with Klaus too fast; one kiss did not make a relationship._

_(But it could start one.)_

_She was starting to feel frustrated and confused and it was going to take something a lot stronger than champagne to calm her nerves. Fishing around underneath the bar, she was rewarded with a bottle of vodka and a shot glass. One quick drink would calm her down._

_Somehow, one quick drink turned into ten._

_She tried her best to keep her giggles to herself as she spun around on a barstool. Kisses and vodka made for one very tipsy vampire, who was getting very, very bored. Hopping down from the stool, she made her way over to the leather couches and sank down into one, spotting Klaus’ sketchbook lying on the coffee table. He must’ve been drawing while she was getting ready earlier. Making sure that the door to Klaus’ room was still firmly shut; she picked up the book and leafed through the pages. There was the one of her she had already seen, but some new sketches of her at the Grand Canyon, sitting on top of car watching the sunset, and sitting at the driver’s seat with the wind blowing through her hair. A wide smile broke out on her face as she flipped the pages until she came to the last one, which was mostly blank except for a small drawing in the corner._

_The muffled sound of Klaus’ voice raised in anger came through the closed door. Whatever Elijah had to tell him, it must have ticked him off. For a moment, Caroline wondered what Elijah would think of her. She imagined meeting the older Original as Klaus’ girlfriend, she wondered if he would like her, ignore her or flat out tell Klaus that she was too young or naïve to be with him. It was stupid, but Caroline was drunk and her thoughts ran away from her. How could she consider a future with Klaus, how would she even fit in with the whole supernatural power play thing he had going on in Louisiana? God, what would Rebekah say?!_

_She was starting to hyperventilate slightly, and the room suddenly felt way too suffocating. She glanced down at the last page of Klaus’ sketchbook and impulsively ripped it out and folded it, stuffing it into her small clutch purse. Carefully, she tiptoed out of the room, and gingerly shut the door behind her. Once in the elevator, she coached herself through some breaths. All she needed was a short walk to counter the alcohol…_

* * *

 

Klaus stood apprehensively in the middle of the suite’s living room. He wanted to kick himself. Last night he had been given a chance to finally progress his relationship with Caroline but his bloody annoying brother had called with news of dissent spreading in New Orleans, the witches were becoming increasingly tired with being suppressed under Marcel’s reign. The information was necessary to share, Elijah was committed to helping his brother regain a kingdom, but for once Klaus found his aspirations of ruling New Orleans falling second.

He eyed Caroline’s door, wondering if he should wait until she came out or just go ahead and knock. They should figure out how to move forward now. Granted, his preferred method would’ve been moving forward into the same bed, but the immediate window for that had passed last night and his brother had kept him occupied for a good hour during which he heard Caroline go out and come back and then head straight for her room.  He had nearly told Elijah to sod off and run after her except he realized she must have been confused over where they’d go after their kiss. Besides, he trusted her not to sneak off without saying a proper goodbye.

(After all that he had done to earn her trust, he hadn’t realized how much he had come to trust _her._ )

Now, however, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her good morning and explain to her in no uncertain terms that there was no going back for either of them. Come hell or high water, they would be moving forward one way or another. Then again, was that entirely his choice to make? Squaring his shoulders, he strode over to the mahogany door and knocked sharply.

The sound of someone stumbling and a muttered curse came from inside before the door flew open and Klaus was met with the sight of an _incredibly_ disheveled blonde. The black scrap of fabric she called a dress offered up ample view of her cleavage and legs, and his eyes travelled up her body to rest on her mascara smudged face, and unkempt hair. She looked well-fucked, for lack of a better term.

He could feel his hands clench and a spurt of white hot jealously go straight through him at the thought of anyone else touching her after what had happened between them last night. He was sorely tempted to storm in and check the room for another person before realizing that he would’ve easily heard anything like _that_ last night.

“Good morning love,” he said gently.

“Klaus…hi.” Caroline was a little shocked to see him. Not that she didn’t know he was still there, in the suite, but actually seeing him since he had disappeared into his room last night brought back the memory of their kiss full force. She could feel his hands on her waist, the way he had consumed her entirely.

_‘And that’s just one kiss…’_

Suddenly she became very aware of his hungry gaze and her current state of dress. On one hand, she could throw herself at him the way she was itching to and see where things went. On the other hand, she could keep her composure and not jump into something that she wasn’t ready for.

“I need to get cleaned up!” she blurted out. Klaus’ face fell ever so slightly, but before he could say anything, she darted into the bathroom and shut the door, leaving the hybrid standing in the doorway, trying to get a hold of himself. He was a _thousand_ years old, how did one girl reduce him to a nervous teenager? Before he could actually move he heard a small scream come from the bathroom and before he could even register what he was doing, he had kicked the door open and found Caroline standing with her back to the mirror, looking over her shoulder and inspecting her shoulder blade. He realized what had startled her and she shot him a sheepish smile.

“I remembered where I went last night.”

* * *

 

_She didn’t even bother to leave the Bellagio, the good thing about staying in Las Vegas was that there was always something to do in hotels like these. She considered going through the casino again, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without Klaus, and the lights and bells would be an assault on her currently inebriated senses._

_So, she settled for wandering around the floor that held the high end boutiques which were mostly empty at this time of night. Pulling out Klaus’s sketch from her purse, she looked at it one more time, tracing the lines. Glancing up, she realized what shop she had stopped outside of._

_‘Vegas Ink and Piercings.’_

_She looked at the drawing in her hand. Then she looked at the tattoo parlour. Then she looked at the drawing again._

_A smile spread on her face. She was in Las Vegas. Time to get a souvenir._

* * *

 

 

Wordlessly, they both examined the small tattoo on the back of her shoulder blade. The hummingbird was just a simple black and white outline and Caroline was beyond relieved that she hadn’t grabbed one of his larger or more detailed sketches. This was…nice. Tasteful. And a good souvenir, all in all. Not just of the trip, but the person she was travelling with.

Klaus came to stand close next to her and his warm fingers skimmed the skin on her shoulders. She nearly jumped a foot in the air at his touch. He had been close to her before but now all she could remember was the smell of his cologne and the warmth of his kiss and she found herself meeting his heated gaze in the mirror.

“This looks familiar, love,” he muttered with a small frown.

Caroline blushed and looked around the bathroom for her purse, which was lying in a corner under the sinks. She rifled through it and pulled out the now crumpled piece of paper, handing it over to Klaus and awaiting his reaction with baited breath.

Klaus recognized the drawing as his own, a quick sketch he had made shortly after the conversation he had had with Caroline months ago about that small sliver of humanity he may have had buried deep inside him. His eyes flicked up to meet hers and he was flooded with a strange feeling of _possessiveness._ The thought of his drawing branding her skin…He fought the urge to march over to her and drag her over to the bed to take her the way he had wanted to for weeks now, but he knew, he _knew,_ ultimately she had to be absolutely ready. And considering the ‘deer-in-headlights’ stare she had on her face, ready was just a little ways off.

Clenching his hands to keep his restraint, he noted her unkempt (though still beautiful) appearance again. “Don’t take this the wrong way love, but you look a little…”

She grimaced, “I know, I’m a mess. I sort of…slept in the bathtub.”

“Was the bed not suitable?” he asked, feeling a smirk tug at his lips.

She rolled her eyes, “Look, I was wasted and I’m pretty sure the tub looked really comfortable last night!” They shared a small laugh before the awkwardness descended on them again. She licked her lips, and wondered how to breach the elephant in the room.

“So, last night. That was…” She trailed off nervously, unsure how to continue.

“You’re a glorious kisser, Caroline,” and smirking as he repeated his old line.

She fidgeted where she stood, one hand absentmindedly reaching to her shoulder. “Should we, uh, talk or something – “

“It was a kiss Caroline, one kiss,” he said, his voice ringing with finality. It was one kiss that could or could not decide how they would move on from here, but for now at least, he would leave that decision up to her. “You should get ready; we’ll be on the road soon.” With that, he forced himself to turn around and walk away from her, making his way to his own bathroom on the other side of the suite, where a long cold shower no doubt awaited him.

As she packed up the few things she had removed from her suitcase the day before, Caroline found herself irritable and frustrated. The headache was gone, she was clean and refreshed and was in the proper state of mind to think about what he had said.

_‘It was just one kiss…’_

His words had bothered her. It was not just one kiss; he knew damn well that what had happened meant something. Was this him telling her that he was backing out of whatever crush he had had on her? Was he just looking to give her an out? Her heart sank as she thought about what Elijah might have said to him last night, was he realizing that ruling New Orleans was much more important than one baby vampire who was just taking up his time?

Using much more force than necessary, she yanked the zip on her suitcase close and sunk down on the bed. Whatever was going on between them, she had to figure it out and quickly. The road was almost at its end, after all.

* * *

 

She didn’t think they had ever been so silent around one another before. The California state border passed them by and she leant back in her seat, wishing that things were a little less tense between them so that she could properly enjoy her arrival in a state she had always wanted to visit. Granted, the palm trees and ocean breeze weren’t exactly lining the highway just yet, but if Klaus would just talk to her, then she could tell him how much she’d wanted to see the Pacific Ocean and walk down Sunset Boulevard.

She chanced another glance at him out of the corner of her eye and saw him staring steadily out the window, his hands tight on the steering wheel. Was he reluctant to bring up the kiss because he regretted it? She sighed inaudibly and stared out her own window, before she was startled from her thoughts by her companion clearing his throat.

“So, about what happened in Las Vegas…”

She was surprised, wondering if they were finally going to talk about things, but a quick flash of fear shot through her. What if he was starting up a speech to reject her? Before, he could continue, she decided to cut him off at the pass.

“So, what did Elijah want last night?” she asked, her voice rushed.

Klaus frowned, was she avoiding the topic of their kiss because she wanted to forget it happened? Her friends and family in Mystic Falls no doubt weighed heavily on her mind; he doubted she could just ignore their probable misgivings. At the very least, she had given him a topic of conversation that would ease the atmosphere.

“Elijah has been monitoring the workings of the witches in New Orleans for the past few months now. We’ve been trying to figure out how Marcel – “

“Wait, who’s Marcel?”

Klaus sighed heavily. “Marcel was my protégé. I took him from his life, made him into something great, taught him all that he knows and how does he repay me? By ruling _my_ kingdom, and making it quite clear that he believes New Orleans belongs to _him.”_ A malicious smirk spread across his face. “I look forward to the day when I can disabuse him of this notion.”

Caroline nodded slowly, taking in the new information. “Okay, so Marcel is bad, but what do Elijah and the witches have to do with all of this?”

“New Orleans is a hub for the supernatural, the French Quarter witches were once a powerful lot. But now Marcel has subjugated them, bent them into hiding and once my brother and I  get them on our side, we’ll have the numbers to take on Marcel and his followers.”

“How do you know they’ll help you?”

Klaus gave her a small smile, “Remember our friend Johanna?” Caroline nodded, reaching up to play with the red pendant around her neck.

“Well, she had a feeling that two witches, the Devereux sisters, would be the ones to lead their side of the revolution by allying themselves with us. And Elijah called me last night to fill me in on all of this, on what information Sophie and Jane-Ann had gathered from the other witches about who might be joining my little coup d’état.”

He sounded absolutely sure of his plan, and Caroline absorbed the story, remaining silent. For the longest time she had purposely steered clear of the topic of New Orleans simply to avoid what she was feeling now. How could she possibly be a part of this? This game of chess where people were pawns and a small group of men dictated the lives and movements of everyone involved? Caroline hated feeling like the Barbie Doll, but imagining herself in the dark streets of New Orleans was _hard._ And if she didn’t think she could cut it there, then how could she entertain the thought of a future with him?

(Of course, the streets of New Orleans wouldn’t be that dark if Klaus is by her side, showing her the magic and beauty of the place. And the idea of a future with him, with both of them ruling side by side takes firm root in her mind.)

“Good luck, I guess,” she said softly. She didn’t know how to critique or praise his plans, but knowing Klaus, he would come out on top. “You’re going to win, you know,” she said matter of factly.

“Is that so?” he asked, secretly pleased at her vote of confidence.

“Klaus we tried to kill you dozens of times, instead, you became a hybrid, you sired other hybrids, and you took over Tyler’s body and basically survived everything. You’re Klaus. You’ll win, trust me.”

He frowned a little at her mention of the young (ungrateful) hybrid, but she didn’t seem to be dwelling on it, so he accepted it was just a passing comment. He felt slightly guilty; she had probably brought up the subject of Elijah’s call because she wanted to know what had been so important that he had cut their night short so soon after they had taken such a big step. She probably thought that he had ignored her (hadn’t he?) and considered her less important.

He wanted to say something, to reassure her, but the words wouldn’t form. It made him a coward, but he waited for some sign from her to indicate how she felt, if that glorious moment was a fluke or a new beginning. Forcing her into some sort of ultimatum wouldn’t end well, so while they remained in the car, he held his tongue. But they couldn’t just continue in this suspended reality – he would talk to her about it before their trip ended. He was sure of it.

For her part, Caroline remained silent too. When compared to witches and protégés, she was nothing too special, she knew that. There was very little chance New Orleans would welcome her with open arms, and once Klaus saw how inexperienced she truly was in the dealings of vampires that weren’t her close friends, she was afraid he would see her the way everyone else did – shallow, vapid, insubstantial. She could imagine it now, he would tell her to see the world, leave him behind. It would be a thinly veiled rejection, but rejection nonetheless. Still, none of that had actually happened, it was just her neuroses acting up. By the time they reached the end of their trip, she resolved to talk to him about their future.

So with their minds made up, the two vampires sat in silence as the ocean drew nearer. It was the last leg of their trip, and it was tragic that this was how they were going to spend it, but both were drawing up their words in their heads, thinking and memorizing what they would say once they had each worked up the courage. The trip was ending soon, but neither wanted to go down without a fight.

* * *

 

Caroline had always suspected it, but it was nice to finally have some confirmation. She was _such_ a California girl.

The streets of Los Angeles glinted in the sunlight, and she could feel the atmosphere lightening her spirits. Palm trees lined the roads of Beverly Hills and Caroline had her nose pressed up against the glass, taking it all in. It was sunny, relaxed and a perfect place to end a summer road trip. She was halfway through planning what beaches to go to and which of the upscale stores she wanted to shop at before she actually remembered the much more pressing issue of the hybrid next to her.

He meandered the car through the city streets and turned into a more residential neighbourhood, still offering no comment on where their final destination was.

“Where are we?” she asked, trying to see the houses past the tall hedges that obscured them from view.

“Santa Monica. I have a house here.”

She gawked at him, “You have a house in _Santa Monia?”_ she asked incredulously.

“I’m a thousand years old, I have houses everywhere,” he said with a grin.

She rolled her eyes and sat forward a little as he pulled into a gated driveway, which was lined with trees and bushes, making it nearly impossible to see what was at the end of it. As soon as the house came into view, her mouth dropped open.

“Klaus, this isn’t a house, this is a _mansion.”_ Obviously the hybrid did everything in style, so she didn’t know why she would be surprised that this would be any different. The whitewashed walls were paired with a red terracotta tiled rooftop, giving a distinctly Mediterranean feel to the place. As soon as the car pulled to a stop, Caroline had jumped out and stood in front of a huge set of dark wooden doors.

“Here you go, love,” called Klaus from behind her. She turned around just in time to catch the keys he was throwing at her. “Have at it.”

She beamed at him and let herself into a huge circular foyer, with an intricately patterned wooden floor. High arches led into different rooms and a curved staircase led to the upper floor, forming a balcony that overlooked the front hall. She darted through the living room, a study, and went upstairs, finding more archways that led to a balcony that wrapped around the entire second floor, offering a view of a giant pool as well as well-kept gardens. She leant against the balcony’s stone railing, almost laughing at how amazing this place was. The only thing missing was Klaus to give her a proper tour.

Going back downstairs, she found him standing in the foyer next to their bags, a blank, unreadable expression on his face. His gaze met hers and she offered up a tentative smile.

“This place is incredible, Klaus” she said softly. “Though, I didn’t take you for much of a West Coast guy.”

He chuckled, “This house was a purchase by Rebekah almost a century ago. I’ve kept it up for her, but so far she’s never used it.”

Caroline was a little taken aback by this information, and she’s struck again by how much Klaus will do for people as long as no one was looking. She looked around the beautiful mansion and was glad that they had saved it for the last stop, but maybe that was the problem. _This was it_. There was no more road to go. They had reached the end.

“So I guess…the epic road trip is over, huh?” she asked quietly. Klaus frowned and then flashed over to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her back to the car.

“Not just yet, love,” he muttered.

Caroline sat back in her familiar seat and chewed on her lip, she knew that it was time to make good on her promise, to confront him about what exactly they were to each other now. As the car sped through the streets, it came to a stop in a parking lot next to a pier that looked familiar from what she had seen of it in movies over the years.

“The Santa Monica Pier?” she asked Klaus, grinning.

“Not just the pier, love. Take a look at that sign.”

They walked up the pier, boardwalk arcade games and burger joints on one side, and the wide open Pacific Ocean at the other. About halfway up the pier, the came to a stop in front of a large white sign.

_‘Santa Monica, 66. End of the Trail.’_

She laughed to herself. “So I guess this makes it official, huh? We’ve come to the end of the road.”

Klaus’ jaw tightened and he led her further down until they stood at the very end of the platform. “We’re at the end, but this isn’t over by a longshot, sweetheart. I think we’re both owed some closure before we go our separate ways.” His voice held steady, but his mind reeled at the thought of this summer escape being over.

Caroline’s chest constricted at his words. ‘Going their separate ways’, gave the distinct impression that they would have to forget all that happened, that they would never see each other again, or at least not for a good long while.

“Look, Klaus, I think you should know –”

“Caroline, I have to tell you that – ”

They both laughed awkwardly before Klaus gestured a hand towards her. “Ladies first.”

 Caroline took a deep breath and faced him full on, meeting his intense stare bravely. “Look, that kiss – I don’t know about you, but it meant something to me. I don’t regret it. _At all._  I don’t know how I’d fit into your world, and I don’t know where or how we’d even begin to start a relationship, but I know that I’d be willing to give it a shot…if you were.”

Klaus was speechless. He stood stock still, staring into her eyes while she fidgeted under his gaze, waiting for him to respond. “You don’t know how you’d fit into my world?” he asked quietly.

She scoffed a little. “Well, do you think you’d fit into mine?”

Klaus smirked and wound his arms around her waist, bringing her closer and noting the wide smile that was spreading across her face. “Well, it seems we’ve decided that neither of us fits into each other’s world. So I’ll tell you what, love,” he leant forward so that he was whispering in her ear. “How about we just make our own?” He pulled back and wound a hand in her hair, tilting her face up and crushing his lips to hers. She responded enthusiastically, desire fueling her every move. Their first kiss was them crossing the line, but their second was them firmly deciding to stay there.

Klaus had realized that she had no regrets.

Caroline had realized that he was willing to try and make this work.

Klaus groaned, feeling himself harden against her soft body pressing into his. “We’re in public, sweetheart,” he growled, barely managing to pull away from her. He grabbed her hand and hurriedly pulled her back over to the car, where he flung the door open and practically shoved her into the passenger seat. He’d apologize for being barbaric later. Right now, he just wanted her.

Caroline sat in the seat, panting heavily. Before she could even say anything, the car was squealing down the streets of Santa Monica before arriving at the mansion and she was being pulled out of the car and led through the foyer and up the staircase. He pushed open a pair of doors that led to the one room Caroline hadn’t been in earlier, the bedroom. A large glass door leading to the balcony let in the last few rays of the sunset, softly lighting the light blue walls.  A large canopy bed sat in the center with sheer white curtains surrounding it. Before she could comment on how beautiful the room was, she was being pressed against the door and Klaus’ lips were on hers again.

“ _God_ , Caroline,” he muttered, pulling away from her and letting her see just how much lust filled his gaze. “I’ve wanted to do that for ages.”

She smirked and reached a hand up to curl around his necklaces, pulling his face down to hers. “I’ve wanted to do that since Chicago,” she whispered with a smirk, kissing him one more time. His mouth left hers and began pressing hot, wet kisses down her neck, while his hands found her thighs and he raked his nails against her smooth skin, coming up to the hem of her dress.

Caroline retaliated, her hands finding his shirt and she deftly lifted it up and over his head, him stepping back for a moment to assist her. Once his shirt was gone, so was her dress, he ripped the flimsy cotton straight down the middle, almost drooling at the sight of her black silk lingerie.

“Like what you see?” Caroline asked him coyly.  She found she liked this, seeing him speechless just at the sight of her. Slowly, deliberately, she backed away from him, her smirk mirroring his. He followed after her, his movements predatory. This was what they had been doing for weeks now, this game of cat and mouse.

_‘Game’s over. Time for the reward.’_

Finally feeling the bed behind her, Caroline crawled onto it, and in a flash Klaus was on top of her, his jeans gone. Her eyes widened as she realized he had been going commando and felt his hard length press into her thigh as he covered her body with his. His hands went to play with her breasts, pinching her nipples and she moaned loudly, earning a devilish grin from him.

“What was it you once promised, love?” he asked, his voice dark and low. “Hot, hybrid sex, I believe?”

“Just – ah – don’t tease!” she growled out, pushing her hips against his, desperate for some friction. He granted her what she asked for and let one hand travel down to the juncture of her thighs, moaning at how wet she was for him. He lowered his mouth to nip and tease her breasts some more and Caroline let her hand wander down and stroke him, before he pulled himself up and smacked her hand away lightly.

“Let’s not end this too soon, hmm?”

Caroline just scoffed and wound her legs around his waist, using the moment of distraction to flip them. Straddling him, she bent down and pressed kisses all over his chest, her tongue tracing the tattooed birds. Klaus leant back, his eyes closing in bliss as she put her mouth close to his ear.

“We’ve got all summer, _love._ What are you waiting for?”

He growled again, deep in his chest and flipped them back over, positioning himself at her entrance. “As the lady wishes,” he said, pushing himself into her.

Caroline couldn’t keep in her moans as he set an agonizing pace, her hips rising up to meet his with every thrust. She had wanted this for so long, she just hadn’t been able to admit it. But, _God,_ maybe the wait was worth it.

(One thousand years is a lot of time to become good at something. _Very_ good.)

She screamed at she felt herself explode, his guttural roar telling her that he followed a second later. They collapsed back down on the bed, their bodies slicked in sweat. Klaus’ hand drifted over her stomach, splaying out and rubbing a slow circle.

“We should’ve done that ages ago, you know,” he said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

Caroline hummed in contentment, her entire body feeling light and boneless. She turned her face to meet his, only instead of his usual smirk, he was smiling widely. She knew she wore the same expression of joy, and shuffled closer to him, feeling his hand tighten around the curve of her waist.

“Don’t worry about what we didn’t do,” she said, closing her eyes and nestling into his chest, “because I can guarantee we’re going to be doing that again.”

_But you're so hypnotizing_   
_You've got me laughing while I sing_   
_You've got me smiling in my sleep_   
_And I can see this unraveling_   
_Your love is where I'm falling_   
_So please don't catch me_   
  
_If this is love please don't break me_   
_I'm giving up so just catch me_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was a thing I wrote. The road trip's over but the story certainly isn't!
> 
> Chapter title and song lyrics are from 'Catch Me' by Demi Lovato


	8. Teenage Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to enjoy some California sunshine!

_Let's go all the way tonight_   
_No regrets, just love_   
_We can dance, until we die_   
_You and I, will be young forever_

Caroline felt the brightness of the sun against her eyelids and kept them firmly shut, snuggling into the silk sheets of the large bed, relishing in the warmth spreading through her. She didn’t know it was possible to be so heavy with content; she would gladly just stay buried under this heavy duvet for the forseeable future. As she slowly regained consciousness she was flooded by the memories of last night, of Klaus’ lips on her skin, his hands roaming her body…

_‘Best. Summer. Ever.’_

Wanting to feel him again, she blindly stretched out her arm, groping the sheets for his body but was instead met with air. Frowning, she reluctantly cracked an eyelid open and lifted her head off the pillow, realizing that she was alone in the bed, with Klaus nowhere to be found. A little irritated, she sank back down, determined to just go back to sleepand she happily would have if not for the little niggling of paranoia that was creeping up on her.

_‘Why would he leave her alone in bed? Did he already have second thoughts? What if he had just gotten in his car and driven off?’_

Once the fears had taken root, there was no way she was going back to sleep, so she sat up, stretching out her limbs and throwing off the covers. Glancing around the room, she realized they had never gotten a chance to bring their bags up and her dress lay in two pieces from where Klaus had ripped it, so she settled for picking up his discarded Henley shirt and slipping it on. The soft cotton held his scent and she smiled to herself as she fingered the material. Making her way over to the doorway, she poked her head into the hallway, internally breathing a sigh of relief when she heard the sound of someone walking around downstairs, the clanging of some pots and pans following. If she concentrated, she could smell the faint scent of bacon coming from the direction of the kitchen, and a smile spread across her face at the thought of the Big Bad Hybrid cooking.

She was halfway out the door, intent on finding him and kissing him good morning before she decided to collect her thoughts properly before she faced him. Firstly, she was indescribably happy. But there was a little bit of guilt, not for sleeping with him (there was no way in hell she was going to regret _that_ ), but she was a  little ashamed that she had thought so quickly that he would just abandon her in bed without so much as a goodbye.

Lost in her thoughts, she wandered over to the huge glass doors that led outside to the balcony, slid it open and walked out, shivering at the cool stone underneath her feet. Leaning on the railing, she took in a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the ocean and closing her eyes against the bright California sun. She jumped slightly, feeling a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist, and a body press against her back, but relaxed a second later.

“Good morning, love,” murmured Klaus, pressing feather light kisses to her neck.

Caroline giggled at the tickle of his ever-present (always sexy) stubble, and managed to turn around, looping her arms around his neck and standing up on her tiptoes to give him a proper kiss. He responded immediately, his hold on her tightening, pulling her against him so that her feet almost dangled off the floor. He pulled away after a moment, both of them left breathless and grinning.

“Careful love, we’re in Los Angeles, there are paparazzi everywhere. Wouldn’t want to give them a show, now would we? Besides, if we get carried away, we won’t be able to enjoy breakfast.” He took her hand and led her back into the room, where she saw a large tray lying on the bed, with an assortment of scrambled eggs, bacon, pastries, fruit, and even two glasses filled with blood.

“And he cooks too!” said Caroline with a smirk, crawling onto the bed and settling against the headboard. Klaus joined her, bringing the tray up to his lap and picked up a piece of bacon, holding it out to her.

“What can I say love? I’m a man of many talents.”

“Many, many talents…” she replied suggestively, eyes trailing down his bare torso. He was wearing a pair of sweatpants but wisely forwent a shirt, allowing her eyes to rake over his physique appreciatively, something she could now do openly without any embarrassment.

He smirked, knowing exactly where her thoughts had gone. “You know that’s my shirt you’re wearing, right sweetheart?”

“Yeah, and you’re never getting it back,” she replied happily, taking the bacon he was holding and popping it into her mouth. They stayed in a comfortable silence for a while, before Caroline finally worked up the courage to say what was on her mind.

“So…last night was amazing,” she started, slightly nervous as she picked apart the croissant in her hand.

“Just amazing?” Klaus asked.

She rolled her eyes. “No need to get cocky now,” she said, slapping his hand away that had come over to rest on her upper thigh and was steadily inching higher.

“You wound me, darling.”

“Fine, it was mind-blowing, best night of my life, you’ve ruined me for other men – happy?”

He chuckled and leaned over to peck her on the lips. “Immensely,” he said as he pulled away.

She smiled softly in spite of herself before realizing she had lost her train of thought.  “What I wanted to say though was – where do we go from here?”

Klaus frowned, mulling over her question, knowing that what they decided now would mean the difference between more nights like the last one, or a future of them living apart, trying to appease external forces.

_‘Not this time.’_

The rest of the world could go to hell. He knew what he wanted.

“Do you remember when you asked me to take you on this trip, Caroline?” he asked quietly.

She nodded silently, wondering where he was going with this. “I asked you to take me away for the summer. Which you did, in a way I never even could’ve expected, so thank you for that.”

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and brought her in closer, sighing in contentment as she laid her head on his shoulder, bringing her arm to curl around his waist.

“You’re welcome of course, but it was for my benefit as well as yours. I told you that you deserved to be properly seduced, after all. But I digress – you asked me to take you away for the entire summer and it’s barely July.”

Caroline caught on to where he was going and she just managed to keep herself from jumping up and down on the bed as she thought about it. “Are you serious? Are you really suggesting – “

“I said we should make our own world love. For now, for the next two months at least, I see no reason why we can’t enjoy this lovely house, and each other. California agrees with you, I can tell.”

Caroline laughed then, and it was such a _relief_ to feel so light and carefree. Nudging the breakfast tray towards the end of the bed with her foot, she threw her legs over Klaus’ and straddled his waist. He sat up further against the headboardand brought his hands up to grip her waist tightly, eyes darkening as she cupped his jaw and leant in to whisper in his ear.

“California’s great. But _you_ are much more agreeable, trust me.” She pulled back and pressed kisses along his jaw line, his cheeks, before finally meeting his hungry lips.

He growled slightly when she pulled herself away, leaning forward to nip her lips, and admiring her flushed cheeks, and bright eyes.

_‘Beautiful’_

“We’ve been fools, you know,” he said matter of factly, aimlessly letting his hands run up and down her sides.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“We could’ve enjoyed so much more of each other if we had given in sooner. Saved a penny on all those extra rooms too.”

She just snorted, “Please, remember the Missouri Motel? I’m pretty sure if we did then what we did yesterday, the owner might’ve actually given us a discount for the show.”

“Perhaps we’ll just go back and stay again,” he suggested, inwardly smirking at how her nose scrunched up in disgust.

“No thank you!” she said, shuddering a little to herself. But remembering that night when she had first slept next to him, she decided to make a confession.

“That was the first night I really thought about it, you know,” she said quietly. Klaus cocked his head to the side and waited for her to continue.

“When I woke up that morning, I was thinking about what it would be like to want to wake up next to you every morning. What it would feel like, what we would do…I wanted to stay like that for hours.”

He looked like a kid at Christmas at her revelation and he brought one hand up to rest of the back of her shoulder blade, rubbing the spot where he knew her hummingbird tattoo was through the Henley.

“When we first left Mystic Falls, and you woke up in the early morning to see Chicago for the first time – when you saw that city with fresh eyes, you reminded me of why I fell in love with it. And I knew why I wanted so badly to stay close to you, to spend as much time with you – you make the world brighter, the way you see everything a place or person has to offer.”

He ducked his head a little and Caroline smiled to see him unsure of himself for once.

“Thank you, Caroline.”

“For what?”

“For seeing everything that _I_ had to offer.”

Caroline just shook her head and leaned forward to kiss him again. “And thank you,” she whispered to him, “for offering me the world. One day, I’m going to take you up on that.”

“Anytime, love. But for now, why don’t we finish breakfast?” He pulled the tray back up to where they sat and popped a grape into his mouth.

Caroline eagerly followed suit, idly playing with a strawberry before she turned once more to face him. “You know, I don’t think you properly understand what you’ve gotten yourself into,” she said teasingly.

“Oh? And what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

“Well, we’re in LA, which I’ve always wanted to visit. So we’ll probably do _lots_ of shopping in Beverley Hills, not to mention the movie premiers I’m probably going to be compelling us into. Oh, and we have to see the beaches, and maybe take a few day trips into the other cities like San Diego and  - “

“Love, I’m starting to think you don’t even need me along for this.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” she said, poking him in the side. “If I’m going to be strutting around Los Angeles, I’m going to need some hot man-candy on my arm.”

“ _Man-candy_?” asked Klaus, and Caroline nodded in mock seriousness. It didn’t last however, because he dug his fingers into her side to tickle her and she squealed, squirming to get away but still laughing. Breakfast forgotten, she ended up pressed into the bed under him, while he gave her a wicked grin.

“Tell you what love, we’ll compromise. You can decide what we do each day, but…” He let his words trail off as his hand traveled up her thigh and began pushing the fabric of his shirt out of the way. The wolf in him growled as her pupils dilated and breathing became erratic. Leaning down, he pressed slow kisses up her neck before putting his mouth near her ear.

“At night, you’re _mine.”_

* * *

 

As it turned out, they both made good on their promises. Los Angeles was a million miles away from judgemental best friends or old enemies and they could indulge in each other to their heart’s content. The entire attitude of the city helped with that, it was bright and relaxed and Caroline felt like they could just live like that forever, facing endless days of the blinding sun and bright blue skies.

(Granted, they spent the first week of their California vacation almost entirely indoors. It was a miracle Caroline managed to convince Klaus that leaving the bedroom at some point would be healthy. He just took it as a challenge.)

So, once he deemed it allowable for them to leave the house –

(She threatened to withhold sex if he kept ripping her clothes without letting her shop to replenish her wardrobe,)

–they took in everything and anything the city had to offer. The first thing Caroline had wanted to do was go to the beach, the quintessential South California experience for any visitor. So, after much cajoling, a tote bag was packed and Klaus forced into a pair of swim trunks.

(As she ogled him, Caroline couldn’t say she minded this one bit. Though, if the way his eyes fixed on the cherry red bikini she wore, the feeling was mutual.)

They had driven over to Venice beach and set out the towels, preparing for a happily relaxing day.

They lasted about ten minutes.

Klaus _swore_ he had just wanted to give the frat boys drooling over Caroline from afar a few stern words, but they ‘provoked’ him into knocking them out cold. And if anyone were to ask Caroline, she just ignored the giggling bimbos who were not-so-subtly trying to attract Klaus’ attention, and definitely didn’t compel one of them into pulling the string on her friend’s bikini top, thus starting an epic cat fight that got the whole beach’s attention.

Needless to say, they stuck to the giant pool in the mansion, if they ever wanted to go swimming after that.

The upscale shopping was everything Caroline had dreamed it would be, though there were moments when she sorely missed having a girlfriend to lend an eye to what looked good. Not that Klaus didn’t always have an opinion, but after three hours, he made it very clear that his favourite state of dress for her was when she was in nothing at all.

(One nearly destroyed dressing room and a compelled sales lady later, a blushing Caroline laid down a ‘no-sex-in-public’ rule. Again, he just saw a challenge.)

Occasionally, when Caroline was going through her purchases she’d think about Bonnie or Elena, but quickly banished them from her mind, not wanting to deal with the feelings of guilt over keeping them at arm’s length. Sometimes, she thought about Rebekah whenever Klaus would make comments about how his sister shared her love of shoes and Caroline wondered how they would get along now. Granted, neither blonde had ever been particularly kind to one another, but things were much different now. She knew she’d have to make an effort to get to know Rebekah better if she was going to be with Klaus and she suspected Rebekah would feel the same way, for Klaus and Matt’s sake.

(It could work out, right? If the Orignial had great taste in shoes, how bad could she really be?)

But ultimately, both Klaus and Caroline did their best to simply ignore each and every external force that could’ve possibly had an opinion in their lives. It didn’t matter, not then, not when they were in that blissful honeymoon stage. They spent so many nights wrapped up in each other that the world could’ve crashed and burned for all they cared.

At some points, the truth was staring them right in the face, but they were doing their damned best to ignore it. When Klaus twirled her around slowly in the confines of their bedroom, or they lay in quiet next to each other in the large leather couch in the study, her reading and him sketching, the truth was just a hazy abstract notion that would be dealt with ‘someday’, one day that definitely wasn’t _that_ day, and probably not tomorrow either. Nothing could penetrate the perfect bubble of their happiness.

Caroline’s calls to her mother were few and far between, vague at best when she told her what she was doing.

Klaus’ excuses towards Elijah became more and more numerous, not wanting his brother to interfere in his newfound happiness. He considered calling his little sister, knowing that if anybody might understand his current situation it was her, but every time his finger hovered over her name, he decided against it, knowing that she hadn’t forgiven him yet.

Eventually, Caroline knew she’d have to face her friends and explain her decisions to them, she owed them that. Klaus would no doubt have to leave behind this summer paradise and return to cutthroat witches and a turncoat protégé, but neither was ready. The world that they had created was entirely their own, and for now, that was all they needed.

* * *

 

About a month after they had decided to stay in Santa Monica for the summer, Klaus and Caroline were having a night in, making use of the pool table in the living room.

“So tell me, love, do you need any pointers,” asked Klaus with a  smirk as he handed one of the cues to Caroline.

 “Oh let me guess, you’re going to stand behind me, lean over and show me just the right way to shoot the stick?” she asked, rolling her eyes at the transparent gesture.

“Well, I am a thousand years old, you tend to pick up a few tricks–“

Before he could finish, Caroline took her first shot and broke the rack, neatly sending two balls into the corner pocket. Klaus was impressed, and she stood up with a proud smile.

“I’ll have you know I grew up in a small town where the only thing to do was go to the Grill and shoot some pool. I’ve had many a date try the ‘here-baby-let-me-show-you-how-to-take-a-shot’ and all of them had the same look you’re wearing now.”

Klaus pouted, “Could you not compare me to some fumbling adolescent from Mystic Falls, it wounds my pride.”

She just snorted. “Please. A herd of wild rhinos couldn’t wound _your_ pride.”

He just shrugged his shoulders innocently and they continued the game. After a few more shots, Caroline twirled her cue, looking out at the garden through the glass doors leading outside.

“So, what do you think we should do tomorrow?” she asked Klaus absentmindedly.

“You decide, love,” he answered, concentrating on his shot.

Caroline frowned a little, spinning around to face him. “You know, I’ve decided what we’ve done almost every day now. Isn’t there anything you want to see here?”

Klaus stood up and gave her a shrug. “Really, Los Angeles is a nice city, but I can’t say I’ve spent too much time here over the decades.”

“You don’t like it much here, do you?” said Caroline a little sadly. Personally she loved this little slice of paradise; she only wished he was as happy as she was.

“Don’t worry love, the company makes up for any shortcomings the city may have,” he said, walking in front of her and pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “I just don’t know this place like I do Chicago or London. I’d be a much better tour guide in either one of those locations.”

“You are an _excellent_ tour guide,” Caroline replied, smiling as she remembered the short time they had spent in Chicago. Abandoning her pool cue, she flopped down on one of the sofas in front of the fire they had lit and motioned for Klaus to join her. He sat down and pulled her close, she relaxed into his embrace and stared into the fireplace.

“We could go back, you know. Maybe we wouldn’t stop so often, but we could drive back to Chicago and you could show it to me properly.”

Klaus rubbed small circles on her arm contemplatively. “I did promise to show you the cities of the world as your lover,” he said, noting the small shiver she gave, “I suppose I’ve got one part of that accomplished.”

“Oh, you’ve accomplished that,” she muttered and he chuckled.

“But if you want more romance, I’d suggest the obvious choice of Paris.”

She raised her head slightly to look up at him. “You’d take me to Paris?”

“I promised you once, didn’t I?” he replied with a soft smile. “If you enjoying shopping here, the boutiques in Paris will blow you away. As will the food, the history, the stories of love that city has seen for centuries…”

She curled into him tighter, her mind running away with the possibilities of his offer. “If you take me to Paris, you have to take me to Rome next,” she said decidedly.

“Rome?” Klaus stared into the flames, his mind a million miles away, imagining pulling Caroline through Rome’s busy streets, sneaking them into the Colosseum at night, showing her the art galleries and old ruins of ancient times. She’d make a joke about his age, definitely, and he’d quiet her with a kiss. It would be perfect. “I can definitely show you Rome,” he said firmly and she laughed a little.

“Well, Tokyo would be next. I hope you speak Japanese!”

“I can make sushi too, you know,” he said smugly and felt her hand come up to play with his necklaces.

“So what happens after we’ve seen Rome, Paris and Tokyo?” she asked coyly.

“Well, then comes Moscow, Dublin and Rio de Janeiro. Then Barcelona, Vienna, Sydney…”

“The whole world, huh?”

“Art, music, and genuine beauty,” he replied softly, pressing a kiss to her hair. They remained entangled in the warmth of each other before he broke the silence again.

“Of course, there is one city that I want to take you to first – New Orleans.”

Caroline nodded against his chest, knowing that it would come up sooner or later. “I’m guessing New Orleans comes before we get to the rest of the world?”

Klaus pressed his lips together, hoping that the thought didn’t make her angry. “I was thinking love…if you’d be open to the idea, there are some wonderful schools in Louisiana.”

Caroline raised herself from his embrace but stayed close. “Go to university at Tulane?” she asked and he nodded, carefully awaiting her reaction.

She sighed softly. “The truth is, I was sort of thinking about it,” she admitted. “It’s a good school and I’m not sure I want to stay in Virginia after everything that’s happened.” His eyes had widened and Caroline hoped he didn’t take her words as confirmation of her plans. “I haven’t decided anything officially yet,” she said hastily. The last thing she wanted to do now was commit to something she might not be able to follow through on. This was the first time they were talking about the future, making serious long term plans and as much as she wanted to be with him, thoughts of the future still scared her a little.

Klaus brought a hand up to tuck one of her curls behind her ear. “Don’t worry about it, love. But thank you for taking it into consideration.” She grinned and returned herself to her earlier position, enjoying the weight of his arm holding her close. The more she thought about his words, tentative decisions began forming in her mind.

This was finally happening, she realized. They were making the necessary plans, they were broaching the topic of the future – they were in this for the long haul. Granted, the next year (or five) were a little hazy. She had to talk to her friends, for one thing. And her mother, that was another matter entirely. But in ten years, or twenty, she could see herself strolling down the Champs Elysees or looking over the edge of the Eiffel Tower while Klaus stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist.

“Let’s leave then,” she said suddenly.

“Sorry, what?” he asked, confused by her quick change of heart.

She sat up excitedly and looked at him with bright eyes. “Why stay here? We can go anywhere, do anything – why don’t we start with Chicago, at least? You can show it to me properly and we don’t even have to do Route 66 this time, we could drive north, see a little of San Francisco, then continue until Oregon, turn east from there and maybe – “

“Slow down Caroline!” said Klaus, but his beaming smile mirrored hers. He wanted, more than anything, to throw their belongings in the car and start off but he wanted to be sure this was what she wanted.

“Are you sure about this, Caroline?” he asked slowly. “You love it here, after all.”

“Not as much as I love you.” The words were out of her before she could even think about what she was saying and she gasped softly, eyes widening as she awaited his reaction. He just stared at her in shocked silence and she took that as a slightly better response than him running away.

After a moment, he regained his ability to speak. “We should get packing then,” he said, a little hoarsely. There’s a lot of road to cover. But first…” Caroline was shocked by how fiercely he pulled her to him, his lips finding hers and demanding entrance. She moaned into his passionate kiss, feeling a near overwhelming rush of desire course through her and before she knew it, he had picked her up, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist while he walked them up the stairs, never breaking their kiss.

They may have just begun to think about their futures, but right then, the present was the only thing that mattered.

* * *

 

“You were wrong to try and make a move on my girl, do you understand?”

The deep bass of the club beat through the industrial speakers, creeping into every person that was there that night. It was dark, hot and crowded, though most of the attendees were too drunk or too grateful to just be there to really care all that much. Klaus and Caroline may have made the decision to move on from Los Angeles, but with all the packing they had to do, they decided upon a few days to get their things sorted. And with their last night in the city came Caroline’s wish to go out and have a good time, and who was Klaus to refuse her?

There was just the small problem of the ‘attention’ Caroline tended to attract whenever they were at places like these. And if he thought his possessive nature the last time they had gone clubbing in Oklahoma City was bad, now it roared back tenfold. Caroline was _his._ Some people just had to be informed of that. And the dark, crowded atmosphere made it perfectly easy to get the point across.

“I was wrong to try and make a move on your girl,” said the young man Klaus had inconspicuously pinned to the wall, his eyes glazed as the compulsion took hold.

Klaus smirked darkly. “Now, how about you call it a night from trying to encroach on beautiful women who are already taken and go and provoke that gentleman at the door into a fight?”

He glanced over at the beefy necked bouncer who was standing by the door with a sour face. He had about three times the muscle mass of Klaus’ hapless victim, so the end result would be entertaining to say the least.

“I’m going to provoke the gentleman at the door into a fight,” said the young man, and Klaus stepped back, clapping him on the shoulder and sending him on his way.

“Have at it, mate!” he said cheerily and leant against the wall, chuckling lowly to himself.

While he wasn’t too fond of his current location, his discomfort was lessened when Caroline came back from the restroom, practically bouncing on her feet.

“Klaus, I swear I just met Emma Stone in the restroom!” she said excitedly, eyes shining. While Klaus may have disliked dark clubs and their intoxicated regulars, Caroline was full of life and he knew it was worth it to see her smile and laugh. Besides, it was perfectly easy to pull her off the dance floor and into a secluded corner where he could keep her a little too close for public decency.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself love,” said Klaus patiently, enjoying the way she pressed close to him, a little tipsy from their earlier drinks.

Caroline pouted, picking up on his boredom. This was their last night in LA and she thought it was only right that they enjoy it the way anybody rich and young would, by going to an exclusive club and letting loose.

“Aren’t you having any fun?” she asked, giving him her best puppy-dog smile. His face instantly broke into a grin and he leaned down and pecked her lips quickly.

“I’m enjoying the company, but –“

His sentence was interrupted by a loud shriek and they both whipped around to see the bouncer take a swing at a guy, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

“ _Fight, fight, fight!”_ chanted the crowd, and Caroline just shook her head.

“That looks like the guy who was trying to hit on me earlier,” she said, her nose scrunching up in disgust. “What an idiot!”

“Well, some people just have no class,” said Klaus, laughing inwardly.

“Anyway,” said Caroline turning back to him, “you sure you wouldn’t like to dance?”

He just raised his eyebrow, and she got his point. Still, they should try to enjoy themselves a bit more, maybe make a last good memory before they left. Grinning, she shifted so that she was standing in front of him, her hands going to his chest and pushing him flat against the wall.

“Are you absolutely sure?” she purred, pressing herself closer against his body.

“Quite sure, love,” he replied, voice husky. He was slightly surprised at her bold move, but this was not the moment to stop her.

She smirked, and pressed a kiss to his neck, then one on his jaw, going higher until she reached his lips and devoured them enthusiastically. He gripped her waist closer to him, one of his hands entangling in her hair, and she pulled back after a moment, her cheeks flushed.

“Still a ‘no’?” she asked playfully.

“Afraid so love, but feel free to continue trying to convince me.”

She just heaved a dramatic sigh and leaned back in, whispering in his ear. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

Klaus closed his eyes, waiting for her lips to return to his, but in a flash, he felt nothing but air in front of him. Snapping his eyes open, his eyes searched the dance floor until he found Caroline again, she was dancing along to the beat, and as his eyes caught hers, she smirked and put a little more sway in her hips. In Oklahoma, she had danced just for fun, but now she was teasing him, taunting him, and Klaus wondered if she wasn’t trying to perfect a very specific form of torture.

The red halter top and dark, skintight jeans left little to the imagination and Klaus watched her like a hawk, imagining tearing her clothes off of her once they had made it back to the mansion, enjoying once last explosive night in Santa Monica before they were on their way. It sent his spirits soaring to imagine them having more nights like that in Chicago, or New Orleans or Paris or wherever they went.

His keen senses picked up on some other unwanted suitors that Caroline had inadvertently picked up and he was behind her in a flash, hands settling on her hips and his body moving along with hers.

“I thought you hated this sort of dancing,” she said, breathless.

“Oh, I do. Doesn’t mean I don’t know how to do it,” he said lowly, lips moving against the shell of her ear. She shivered under his touch and felt how ready he was for her, her own need matching his. She purposely pushed her hips back and felt him growl in her ear.

“You shouldn’t tease a desperate man, love,” he said darkly, and the next thing Caroline knew, he had grasped her hand and was dragging her along the dance floor, pushing through the drunken horde and heading straight for the back exit door. He practically kicked it off its hinges and once outside in a small alleyway, Caroline took a breath of fresh air.

She didn’t have much time to gather her thoughts though because she was being pressed against the brick wall and Klaus was attacking her lips with newfound ferocity. She didn’t stop to think about what was happening as his hand inched her shirt up, her own arms locking around his neck. Once he ripped his lips away from hers, he went for her neck and she let out a whimper, her eyes closing in bliss.

They were completely lost in each other. So lost, that they didn’t notice the figure at the end of the alleyway.

“You know, I always thought you two might be good together.”

Both Klaus and Caroline stiffened, pulling away from each other and standing in the middle of the alley in a flash. Klaus was ready to tear the intruder apart, but Caroline stopped him at the last second, gasping at the sight of a familiar face.

Standing in front of them was Stefan Salvatore.

_You make me feel_   
_Like I'm livin' a_   
_Teenage dream_   
_The way you turn me on_   
_I can't sleep_   
_Let's run away and_   
_Don't ever look back,_   
_Don't ever look back_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun Dun DUN. 
> 
> Chapter title and song lyrics are from 'Teenage Dream' by Katy Perry


	9. Jericho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a rocky road now.

_Hop on a fast train out of town_   
_Downside up and Upside down_   
_Going fast is going slow_   
_What could have been we'll never know_   
_In this place that has no name_   
_I can't remember why I came_   
_Then I hear you whisper low_   
_One more mile to Jericho_   
_Nothing is ever what it seems_   
_When you live inside your dreams_

 

He looked the same. Mostly. Same funny hair, same face, same clothes – but at the same time, something was very, very _different._

Stefan took a few steps closer to them, and Klaus instinctively pulled Caroline a little closer, not trusting the relaxed pose that the younger Salvatore had. While his and Stefan’s history could be described as complicated to say the least, he always felt he had a good amount of understanding of the vampire’s habits and seeing him so nonchalant right now had him very suspicious.

Caroline, on the other hand, was just ecstatic to finally see her best friend again. She had been worried about him all summer, despite her contentment and focus on Klaus, Stefan’s happiness had danced at the edge of her mind as she wondered how he was doing after Elena finally made her choice. The way he stood, so relaxed and open in front of them made her think that maybe a summer away from all of them had been exactly what he needed, but at the same time she couldn’t help but think that the Stefan she remembered would’ve displayed a little more shock at seeing her and Klaus making out in an alleyway in the middle of Los Angeles.

_‘Maybe he’s not the Stefan I remember anymore.’_

A little cautiously, she pulled away from Klaus, ignoring how his grip tightened before she extracted her arm from his hold. She walked closer to Stefan with a timid smile, and he grinned back, putting her at ease.

(Was she imagining it, or did his smile not quite reach his eyes?)

“God, Stefan, it’s so good to see you again!” she said with a disbelieving laugh, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a tight hug. He remained a little stiff, but she reasoned that he was probably still a little confused about Klaus. As she pulled away, she looked him over for any obvious signs of injury or distress, but he looked absolutely fine.

“Wouldn’t have expected to find you here, Caroline,” he said his voice light and joking.

(Seriously, she had just been ready to rip Klaus’ shirt off, didn’t that warrant some surprise?)

“Stefan, where the hell have you been all summer, I left you dozens of messages, and nobody knew where you had gone and I was so worried –“

“Careful love, you’re rambling,” she heard Klaus say affectionately behind her. Stefan raised an eyebrow at the hybrid’s endearing tone, and Caroline turned around to see Klaus eyeing him suspiciously.

She smiled at Klaus reassuringly and walked over to stand by his side, taking his hand. With a deep breath, she looked up to Stefan again, who was now leaning against the wall, patiently waiting for her to start.

“Go for it, Caroline, tell me what you did this summer. Well, besides Klaus, of course.”

Caroline frowned at his innuendo, wondering how the hell he could be so calm about this. Klaus was stiff by her side, and she knew it was up to her to diffuse the tension now before the bloodbath started.

“So…I know this is probably really weird and all, it’s a bit of a long story. After you left, I asked Klaus –“

“Don’t worry about it Caroline,” said Stefan, waving his hand dismissively. “You and Klaus obviously took a little trip together, finally got over yourselves and jumped each other; it was bound to happen eventually.”

Caroline and Klaus could only gape in shock. It was Klaus who recovered first, his voice low and dangerous. “Listen mate, I don’t particularly give a damn what you’ve been doing for these past few months, but I’ll thank you to watch your words.”

Stefan actually laughed at that and held up his hands in a defensive gesture. “Relax, big bad hybrid. I’m happy for you guys; really, it must’ve been good for both of you to work through all that tension.”

Caroline frowned and shook her head, wondering how her steady, level-headed friend had gotten like this. Stefan had always been moody but this wasn’t his usual brooding, this was him being careless, contemptuous, and she didn’t like it at all. For a second she wondered if he had gone so far as to turn off his emotions completely and she balked at the thought of getting Ripper Stefan back in full force.

Somehow, Stefan seemed to know what she was thinking because he pushed up off the wall and walked towards them, his eyes fixed on Caroline and his lips spreading into a sardonic smile. “Don’t you worry, Care, I’ve still got my emotions on. I’m just trying on a new attitude, losing the old brooding thing; it wasn’t exactly working for me.”

Caroline remained unconvinced, but for now, she decided not to press the issue. At least Stefan was happier now than he had been for a long time, and after everything that had happened in Mystic Falls, she supposed he needed some sort of period to just let loose. There was one issue that she still needed some closure on though, something that had been bothering her for a while.

“Stefan, what happened to Silas? Damon said you got rid of him – is he really gone?”

Stefan gave her a wicked grin and it sent chills up her spine. He stepped closer and put his hands on her shoulders, leaning close. “Caroline, I swear to you that there is a locker sitting at the bottom of the Falls with a body in it. Now, take your mind off of it. You’re in LA, you should be enjoying yourself!” With a grin, he clapped Klaus on the shoulder. “Isn’t that right, _mate?”_

Klaus just barely managed to stop himself from growling and yanking Stefan’s arm off. You didn’t live to be a thousand years old without honing your instincts, and right now his instincts told him that Stefan Salvatore was not in any right state of mind and he wanted him far away from Caroline. He knew that the two were close and jealousy had always been a problem when it came to her, but this was the first time since the start of their relationship that he had come across a man who had the potential to actually talk her out of her feelings for him and whisk her away.

Then again, Klaus was hesitant to chase the Salvatore away so quickly. Begrudgingly, he knew that Stefan had once been a good friend to him, practically a brother, and a small part of him wanted to discuss his new relationship with somebody who understood both of them. Besides, he knew that Caroline would never forgive him if he just drove away Stefan without letting her talk to him.

“Why don’t we all go for a drink?” he asked, trying to sound as light-hearted as possible. “We’ve got a mansion in Santa Monica; it’s not far from here.”

Stefan smirked and raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been living together in a mansion, huh? Well, domestic bliss does wonders for people; I’m glad to see you two lovebirds have settled in nicely. You never would’ve been able to manage this back home.”

Caroline frowned and looked at her shoes; the thought of Mystic Falls caused fresh guilt and uneasiness to wash over her. She had been avoiding most thought of her hometown, but Stefan was absolutely right, the only way her and Klaus had worked out was because they were out of Mystic Falls.  

“What’s wrong, Caroline?”

Caroline looked up to see Stefan giving her a dark smile.

“Don’t want to think about good ol’ Mystic Falls? I mean I can understand it, what with Elena and Damon living out their little white picket fence fantasy, I doubt you were too thrilled about that.”

Caroline narrowed her eyes, wondering why in hell Stefan would choose here and now to bring them up. “Honestly? Yeah I wasn’t thrilled, but I was more worried about _you_ when I found out. Why didn’t you say goodbye before you left?”

“Oh, I had things to do!” he said with a chuckle. “But I don’t need to tell you about that, you probably hightailed it out of Virginia the first chance you got!”

“Well, yeah, I did, but – “

“I’m a little surprised though, that you left so quickly after everything that happened. I mean your mom must be worried, right?”

She stiffened at the mention of her mom and opened her mouth but couldn’t think of anything to say. Yes, her mom was worried about her, she could tell as much from their few conversations, though those had become increasingly sparse over the last month.

“And poor Bonnie too,” he continued, “I guess she learnt her lesson about playing with dark magic.”

“Stefan, what are you talking about?” Caroline asked, quickly getting frustrated at his enigmatic statements that did nothing but slowly make her feel worse. “Bonnie was amazing, she’s just taking some time to rest up, get to know her mom a little.”

“Oh, so you don’t actually know…you know what, sorry, forget I said anything. But I’ve just got this hunch that you’re going to be hearing about Bonnie _very_ soon.”

Klaus could see how upset Caroline was quickly becoming so he decided to step in, old friend be damned. “Listen carefully Stefan, I’m not sure what you had planned to do here, but I’d advise you to be on your way, _now._ ”

Stefan looked over at the hybrid, meeting his stare fearlessly. “You’re pretty good at giving orders. I’m a little surprised you’re not off trying to give more orders to anyone who’ll listen in New Orleans. I passed by there you know – didn’t stay long, just long enough to know that some guy named Marcel was pretty happy you’d run off.”

Klaus growled, hating to have his authority questioned. “I wouldn’t mention the name of that usurper if I were you,” he spat out.

Stefan cocked his head to the side, looking at him curiously. “Usurper? Gotta say, that’s not really the impression I got when I was there.”

“Stefan, seriously don’t –” started Caroline, worried at that Klaus would snap without thinking, but Stefan plowed on.

“When I was in New Orleans, they told me Marcel was _king._ ”

Caroline gasped as both men were suddenly far away from her, with Klaus pinning Stefan against the brick wall by his throat.

“Klaus, please don’t!” she cried out.

But Klaus ignored her, his fangs bared and eyes golden. “You must have acquired a death wish. One which I will be more than happy to grant.” His hand pulled back to plunge into Stefan’s chest but he felt something tugging on it and he looked back to see Caroline hanging on to his elbow, looking at him with wide, pleading eyes.

“ _Please,_ Klaus. I know he’s being an ass but please don’t do this!”

He growled, a menacing sound that echoed off the brick walls around them. Reluctantly, he stepped back, letting Stefan fall to his feet. Amazingly, the young vampire displayed no concern at having almost been killed, he simply straightened and shot them both cool smirks.

“She’s a good influence on you, Klaus. I wonder how that attitude will fly in New Orleans though. And Caroline,” his eyes found hers and he gave her a look that could have been pity. “I wonder what everyone’s going to say when you tell them you ran off with the big bad hybrid?”

Caroline gasped, feeling her eyes moisten. Stefan had always been the one who understood her choices, or at least heard her out. More than anything, she had thought Stefan would be the one who could understand why she had given Klaus a chance, but seeing him so cold and callous in front of her was breaking her heart.

Stefan raised his eyebrows and clasped his hands behind his back. “I don’t know why you two are so surprised to hear this – this is what you’ve been thinking about, right?”

He was absolutely right of course. This was _exactly_ what both of them had been thinking about for the past month, they had just never had the courage to face it. And maybe if they weren’t so taken off guard by Stefan just waltzing in and flaunting their insecurities in their faces, they’d wonder exactly how he seemed to know so much about their ‘inner feelings’ but all they could do was share a hopeless look, each wondering how they’d deal with this.

They were interrupted by Stefan clearing his throat. “Well, this has been fun, we should do it again sometime. I think I’ll just be on my way now.” With that, he sped off and Klaus made to go after him, but was stopped again by Caroline pulling him back, shaking her head.

“Let him go. He’s flipped the switch or he’s acting out or something…but that Stefan is not my friend, I can’t help him now. Maybe we should just give him some space.”

Klaus still looked torn, but ultimately he knew she was right. It rankled him though, to think of himself as someone who had started showing _mercy._ Glancing back at Caroline, he wanted to say that he was still perfectly capable of taking power and retaining his fearsome reputation and that she knew who he was either way, and was comfortable with it…but was Stefan right? Had he forsaken New Orleans without even realizing it?

Caroline watched his jaw lock and he nodded stiffly, wordlessly extending his hand. She took it and they started the walk back to the mansion, completely in silence. She wondered if they should talk about what Stefan said, logically she knew she should chalk it up to him just being a dick because he was acting out or something of the sort – except that didn’t sound _right_ to her. When Stefan was agonizing over Elena and Damon back in Mystic Falls he had been angry but she had made it clear that she would be there for him, and the time, she thought he had appreciated that. Getting away was one thing, but her friend had done a complete one-eighty…

_‘He’s still Stefan. He just needs some time. And maybe a good knock on the head.’_

Besides Stefan, all that was left to think about was what he had said about Mystic Falls, her friends and her mom. God, she hadn’t even told her _mom_ that her and Klaus were travelling together let alone that they were ‘together’. Was she that much of a coward?

They had reached the mansion, and Klaus unlocked the door, both of them idling in the foyer. Caroline thought about her bags packed upstairs, all the essentials ready for them to leave the next morning, the map marked with the route to San Francisco. She looked up at Klaus and felt the uneasiness settle in the pit of her stomach – something told her that they wouldn’t get to take that trip.

Her stomach seized, and she was gripped with anxiety over the possibility of losing everything they had in one night and she cast around frantically for something that would diffuse the situation, some way to say that neither of them were running away from the inevitable, that they didn’t have to face reality if they didn’t want to – but just before she could speak, two sharp rings rang through the air. Both pulled out their cellphones and looked at each other, each knowing what the other was thinking.

Together, they answered the calls.

“Hi mom, what’s up?”

“Elijah, why are you calling so bloody late?”

_‘Time to face reality.’_

* * *

 

“ _Sweetie…I’m so sorry.”_

Caroline clutched her pillow to her chest, sitting alone in the center of her and Klaus’ massive bed. She had always thought the room was warm and inviting, but now it seemed like an alien planet, completely foreign to her. Her phone stayed by her ear, and her mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.

There were no words for this.

“ _Caroline, are you still there?”_

Caroline gulped, squeezing her eyes shut and willing her voice to work. “Yeah, mom, I’m…I’m here.” She took a deep breath before finding the courage to ask the next question.

“How…when did it happen?”

“ _Jeremy told Elena that she must have cast the spell sometime before graduation. So when the veil went back up then…”_

“She was already dead?”

Bonnie Bennet was dead. Her best friend, the girl she had known since kindergarten, the strong, powerful witch would had given so much, and survived so much was dead. And had been for a long time.

“ _I’m so, so sorry, Caroline.”_

Caroline nodded numbly before she remembered that her mother couldn’t see her. But she wanted that more than anything, to have her mother be there to comfort her, hug her, and tell her that things would be okay. But she wasn’t there, and Bonnie was dead and you couldn’t get everything you wanted, Caroline thought bitterly.

_‘It was supposed to be over; we were supposed to be happy.’_

She gulped down another breath and tried to steady her voice. “Hey, mom, it’s probably really late over there right? Maybe you should get some rest?”

_“Are you sure sweetie?”_

“Yes mom, go get some sleep, okay?”

“ _Caroline, you call me if you need anything at all, alright? I love you.”_

“I love you too, mom. Goodnight.”

She kept her phone clutched in her hand and curled up in a ball, willing herself not to break into sobs just yet; she knew she had one more phone call to make. But if she had thought the waves of guilt over heading out here with Klaus were bad, they were nothing compared to the thought that her best friend had been _dead_ and she hadn’t even noticed. Maybe if she had pressed Jeremy more when she saw how evasive she was, or tried harder to figure out where Bonnie was graduation there was something she could’ve have done, she could’ve at least helped to bury her…

Wiping down the fat tears that had begun to roll down her cheeks, Caroline brought her phone back up and scrolled through to find the familiar number, quickly dialing it. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she waited for the line to be picked up and it was a moment later.

_“Caroline?! Have you…have you heard?”_

“Elena…my mom just called me. Just…how did this happen, Elena?” Her question was more of a strangled sob and she could tell Elena was crying on the other side of the line.

“ _I don’t know Care, Jeremy was acting so weird and when we finally forced the truth out of him…I thought she was fine Caroline, I thought she just needed space and time, I thought-“_

“I know, Elena, I know,” said Caroline soothingly. They were both drowning in guilt, but she knew that at the end of the day,  it wasn’t either of their faults that they didn’t know.

“Elena…why didn’t she tell us somehow?”

“ _Jeremy said that she didn’t want us to worry. She said she wanted us to just have one summer of peace.”_

Caroline let out another sob, wondering how she could’ve been so self-absorbed that this had all escaped her notice. How couldn’t she have been more suspicious when Bonnie didn’t answer her calls or reply to her texts, why didn’t she do something…

But what could she have done? Bonnie had already been dead when she left.

She took a deep shuddering breath and steeled herself for her next words.

“I’ll be home soon, Elena. We’ll figure everything out from there.” Once she finished her call with Elena, Caroline sat up, moving aimlessly around the room, trying to sort out her thoughts. It was a warm night, but she felt a deep chill in her bones.

Everything was falling apart. She just hoped it couldn’t get worse.

* * *

 

“Are you serious, Elijah? You’re absolutely certain?”

Klaus paced the study, a glass of whiskey in one hand and his phone at the other, pressed up to his ear to make sure he caught every single word his brother was saying. He heard, of course, but he didn’t believe.

“ _The Devereux sisters were quite certain on this, Niklaus. They have the respect of most of the other witches of the Quarter, all of whom are quite tired of Marcel’s rule. They’ve officially pledged their loyalty. If you lead the coup, they’ll back you fully, as will the others.”_

Klaus held his breath, not daring to believe that everything he had hoped for was neatly falling into his lap. Powerful though he was, there was no way he would be able to simply kill Marcel and take power that way, it would do nothing except create anarchy in the city and a bevy of supernaturals would be left with no clear direction or leader, hardly the cohesive, powerful kingdom he desired. Not to mention the allies Marcel had built up who would no doubt be hell-bent on revenge.

No, he needed to be smart about how he took power. He needed strategy and finesse, he needed to show to Marcel’s groupies that he would take power and hold it over _all_ of them, vampire, witch or werewolf. He needed an army, and here they were, practically volunteering.

“Elijah, I need you to verify their loyalty. Ensure that they mean what they say, that they won’t attempt to double cross me or try any tricks once Marcel’s been taken down.”

“ _They’ve assured me, Klaus, they want peace. Not a single one of them is interested in ruling in their own right, they’re content to let the power politics play out amongst the vampires as long as they have the freedom to remain impartial observers and keep the balance of nature.”_

“Of course,” Klaus muttered sarcastically. Witches, always playing the holier-than-thou card. Still, he was in no position to start complaining, if they wanted to help him then he would throw them a parade himself once he had taken control of the city.

He had been neglecting his duties to New Orleans all summer, but now his yearning to rule came back in full force. The need to have a place to call home, that city which he had built from the ground up…he _needed_ that. He needed power and loyalty. He needed to be _king._

Thankfully, everything he had ever wanted was properly and finally within his grasp and the mental game of chess he had going in his head played out beautifully. He could envision himself holding Marcel’s heart, he could hear the cheers of his new subjects – he thirsted for it, desperately.

“ _Now, how soon will you be here?”_

“Sorry?”

Elijah gave a deep sigh on the other end of the line before continuing. “ _You need to return, quickly. The witches are tentative about helping you, they demand we begin the proceedings to dethrone Marcel as soon as possible, otherwise they will withdraw their support.”_

Klaus growled, downing his drink and slamming the crystal glass down on the wooden desk. “They dare to make conditions on my aid?” he asked, furious at their audacity.

“ _I don’t blame them Niklaus, the longer we leave this in limbo, the higher the risk that Marcel will find out what is occurring right under his nose and that he will slaughter them all in a heartbeat. I won’t take that risk, brother, nor will I ask them to.”_

“You should mind your sympathies, brother” said Klaus with an eye-roll, “you’ll retain more of your energy if you don’t overextend it.”

Another sigh. “ _Really Niklaus, what exactly is so interesting in California that you haven’t come back yet?_ ”

The truth was at the tip of his tongue, he felt the yearning to tell Elijah, to tell _somebody_ about his relationship with Caroline, but he knew it probably wasn’t right. He felt the need to return to Louisiana and stake his claim, but his thoughts ran away to the beautiful blonde he had held in his arms so many times now. He imagined her flushed skin as he trailed his lips along her chest, he thought about her breathless cries when he brought her to the brink of pleasure. Her giggle when she felt him tickling her, her bright smile as she pointed out interesting sights on the city streets. Where did she fit into his future? It was an idea he had begun to entertain recently and for a split second he imagined Caroline standing next to him, a perfect queen, and the perfect complement to him. She would be nothing short of magnificent, he knew, but she was still so young – would she even agree to it?

She would. She must. He wanted her by his side.

“ _Niklaus? Are you still there?”_

Klaus shook his head and brought himself back to the present. “Yes, I’m here. Thank you for delivering the news, brother. I’ll…I’ll be in New Orleans shortly.”

_“Looking forward to it.”_

Klaus hung up his cell and moved to stand in front of the fireplace. He wondered if he had been made a coward by his avoidance of New Orleans, if he had subconsciously wanted to avoid a confrontation with Marcel. It was laughable. He was the _Original Hybrid,_ the most powerful creature on the planet, killing Marcel was child’s play to him. Still…

No. He wasn’t about to go down that path. He would return to the city and do what he had to, power would be his. His mind still wandered to Caroline, he wondered how she would take the news, he knew she’d be disappointed about not being able to continue their little getaway, but she’d already expressed interest in moving on to New Orleans with him, so hurrying their plans wouldn’t be too upsetting, he hoped. Besides, they had forever to see the world, right?

A small noise caused him to whirl around and he caught sight of Caroline standing at the study’s entrance, her arms wrapped around herself as if she was trying to hold herself together. She shook slightly, and her eyes were red-rimmed. He caught her gaze and her lips trembled as she gave out a small sob.

“Love, what happened?!” he asked, alarmed. She took a hesitant step forward before flashing right over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. He immediately hugged her back, stroking her hair, knowing that something had gone terribly wrong.

“Please, sweetheart, tell me what happened. Is your mother alright?”

He felt her nod against his chest and take a deep breath before pulling away so that she could look at him.

“My mom’s fine. It’s…it’s Bonnie. She’s dead.” Her voice was hollow and the finality of the words hit her full force. Saying it out loud like that…it meant that this was real. It hadn’t been a terrible dream.

“But how? What’s going on in Mystic Falls?” Klaus asked, shaking his head in confusion. To his knowledge, the small town had been peaceful when they left, no major threats should’ve been facing the young witch.

Caroline sighed, sitting down on the loveseat in front of the fireplace. “She’s been dead for a long time. She wanted…she wanted to bring Jeremy back from the dead, she thought that the Expression would let her and she managed it but…the spell was too powerful. She died.”

“Oh sweetheart…” Klaus dropped onto the sofa next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close and pressing a kiss to her forehead. She curled into him, and they remained in silence like that for a long while, before Klaus finally spoke.

“It’ll be alright love, we can figure out our next move from Louisiana.”

She pulled back and looked at him questioningly and he hastened to explain. “Elijah told me that the witches of the quarter have pledged their loyalty to me. Once there, I can fully commit to taking down Marcel, and you and I can think about what we’ll do, what you’ll study – love, what’s wrong?”

Caroline was shaking her head, knowing that any plans they had once made had to change. “Klaus, I have to go to Mystic Falls. Bonnie…”

“Of course, sweetheart,” he said, his tone understanding though his instincts did not like where this conversation could go. “How remiss of me. You’ll need to see your friends and family and properly mourn your friend, I understand. After you have everything settled, you can come and join me.”

Caroline said nothing and even in the silence, the penny dropped. “Klaus…” she whispered quietly. “I’m going back to Mystic Falls for good. It’s my home and I was…I was stupid to think that I could just leave so quickly. I wasn’t there for Bonnie or my friends, I was…”

She trailed off, unable to look Klaus in the eye and he pulled away from her, his face forming into a cold mask. “Why Caroline?” he asked, his voice a harsh whisper. “Why would you go back there? What’s left? For God’s sake, you’ve been running from that place all summer!”

“I wasn’t running!” she cried, standing up. “And – and if I was then I was wrong, I can’t just leave them all –“

“I thought the whole reason you were spurred into leaving in the first place was because they were all leaving _you,”_ he spat, standing as well.

She clenched her fists, taking deep breaths. “Well, like I said, I was _wrong._ I should’ve been there, I shouldn’t have just left them all, I shouldn’t have –“

“You shouldn’t have left with me. You shouldn’t have started a relationship with me.” His words were cold, and his eyes held none of the warmth he usually reserved for her. “Of course, falling for the big bad hybrid would exile you forever and you just couldn’t have that, could you?”

His words hit her like a slap and _God_ she wanted to tell him that no, that wasn’t it; she shouldn’t have to decide, one or the other…

“Klaus, please…you could come back with me! Come back, help me bury Bonnie, and I’ll explain to everyone, I’ll tell them-“

“And then what?” he asked bitterly. “We stay in that Godforsaken place for eternity? I have a kingdom to return to, an army to lead. I have no time for such trivialities.”

“Trivialities?” she asked disbelievingly. Of course, his kingdom would come first; she was an idiot to ever think otherwise. “Why is it so important that you have to ‘rule’?” she asked, her voice rising. “What are you even trying to prove? Why can’t you just count on people, for once?”

“Because _people_ have a habit of betrayal, as you are so aptly proving to me!” he yelled.

She gasped and took a step back. “You seriously think I’m _betraying_ you by wanting to go back to my _home?”_

“You were perfectly ready to plan a future with me before Stefan came along.” He turned away from her, facing the flames but he could hear her scoff.

“Stefan’s another thing…I need to figure out what’s wrong with him. Don’t give me that look!” she said, hating how he glared at her. “Stefan’s my friend and I have to help him, even if he is being a jerk right now.”

Klaus just laughed sarcastically. “By all means, run off and figure out what’s wrong with the Ripper. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see you interfere.”

 Caroline clenched her jaw. “I’m going to help my _friend._ You can’t stop me.”

He laughed mockingly at that, “By all means, I won’t hinder you. _Go._ If you’re so _devoted_ to your friends and family, then perhaps you should just leave in the morning. We’ll go our separate paths.”

Even as he said the words, his heart clenched painfully. He wanted her by his side, she _belonged_ with him. But what good were his wishes if she was so ashamed of him?

 “Is this it then?” Caroline asked, her voice shaking. “Are we just – did we…”

“We’ll call it a summer fling. A few months of fun. Nothing we have to remember.” His words were quick and callous and for a moment he wondered if there was any possible way to actually forget what it was like to be with her, but quickly knew that he would have been deluding himself. He knew what it felt like to hold her, to feel her, and if they had to separate now, then they would have to be quick about it, or he knew he’d do something truly unforgivable like kidnap or compel her.

Shaking his head, he was disgusted by the thought. Keeping her by force would be a farce of the real thing and he knew what that felt like. He stood still staring into the flames, not daring to turn around and face her. If he gave in now…but he wouldn’t. He _couldn’t._

Caroline stood in her spot, staring at his back, wishing that he would say something, anything that could give her hope. But clearly that was just a dream. She needed to return to Mystic Falls and he had made it very clear that he wouldn’t be following her. Gulping down air, she thought about saying anything but couldn’t find the words. She was angry, she was devastated and all she wanted was to curl up in ball and hide. Without another word, she spun on her heel and sprinted up to the bedroom, slamming the door shut and throwing herself on the bed. Pulling the heavy blankets over her, she gave in to the dejected sobs that racked her body.

Bonnie was dead.

Klaus was leaving.

But then, summer was never meant to last forever.

* * *

 

The next morning, she jolted up in bed, looking around for a moment, wondering why Klaus wasn’t next to her, why was she still dressed in her club clothes, weren’t they supposed to be leaving for San Francisco…

_‘Oh right.’_

She heaved a sigh and pulled herself out of bed, listening carefully for any sign of the hybrid, but the house was perfectly still. Willing herself not to start crying again, she looked over at the packed luggage, noticing that Klaus’ suitcases were gone.

_‘He already left.’_

Sighing, she went about changing as quickly as possible. Once she was showered and dressed, she grabbed her bags and made her way downstairs. On the small table in the center of the foyer, Klaus’ car keys were set on top of a small piece of paper.

_Goodbye Caroline._

She recognized his elegant script and crumpled the piece of paper in her hand, clenching her eyes shut before she took a deep breath and poked her head out the front door. His car was still there which meant he had flown back. She wondered why he would do that, but she suspected it was for the same reason she left the car in the driveway and called herself a cab to the airport.

(All those weeks in that car with him…there was no way she could drive it now.)

Waiting for her plane, she rubbed her red pendant between her fingers and thought over every single moment that she would now have to work to forget. But did she want to, really? Forget how happy she had been, how relaxed she had felt? Was it even possible?

As her flight was called, she forced herself to walk through the gate and take her seat on the plane. Closing her eyes, she bid her goodbyes to California.

_‘Time to move on.’_

_The walls will tumble_   
_the walls will tumble_   
_But I’m not gonna cry_   
_My heart wont crumble_   
_My heart wont crumble_   
_If we ever say goodbye_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, nothing gold can stay, as the saying goes. 
> 
> Chapter title and song lyrics are from 'Jericho' by Hilary Duff


	10. Don't Forget

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back in good old Mystic Falls.

_Did you regret_   
_Ever standing by my side_   
_Did you forget_   
_What we were feeling inside?_   
_Now I'm left to forget_   
_About us_

_“The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away…”_

Caroline fidgeted where she stood, feeling her heels dig into her feet, the grassy terrain giving no support. Her black dress felt too constricting, the bun she wore her hair in felt too tight, more than anything, she wanted to run, leave this behind, and forget that this was happening.

But no matter how far she ran or hard she tried to forget, that couldn’t change the fact that she was at her best friend’s funeral.

The pastor droned on and on, meaningless platitudes about the brevity of life and the tragedy of a young woman dying so early from a heart problem. Caroline wanted to scoff; he had no clue what he was talking about. She wanted to stand up, tell everybody how Bonnie had really died, by bringing someone back from the dead; she deserved to be remembered for such a feat. She had been so loyal to all of them, but they couldn’t help her in the end. She sighed quietly, eyeing the mahogany coffin that lay in front of the open grave. She suspected some magic from the other side had been involved in preserving Bonnie’s body, because according to Meredith Fell, it had looked as if it had been lying in that basement for one day instead of two months.

Her lips quirked into a small smile, thinking of her friend’s ingenuity. If nothing else, she could at least remember Bonnie for the powerful witch she had been. Though, she wouldn’t be totally alone in that. Looking to her side, she saw Elena sniffling, her hand tightly intertwined with Damon’s. The older Salvatore looked deeply somber, she suspected even he had some fondness for Bonnie, after everything they had all been through together.

Matt was on her other side, back from his European trip though they had barely had any time to talk about what he’d done and seen. He looked so lost and sad, and she felt terrible that a summer that was supposed to be so wonderful for him ended like this.  She couldn’t see him, but she knew Jeremy was hiding somewhere close by, still not able to appear in public. She hadn’t spoken to him, she hadn’t had the time, and a small part of her was so angry that he had kept the news of Bonnie’s death from all of them.

(But then, wasn’t that what Bonnie had wanted?)

The pastor said his final words, and numbly, Caroline found herself following the example of the mayor and throwing a handful of dirt over the coffin as it was lowered into the grave. Bonnie’s father looked about ten years older since she last saw him, and she wondered what she could possibly say to offer some comfort. Kids losing parents was something she was well-versed in, but parents losing kids was completely new territory.

Elena, Damon and Matt dusted off their handfuls of dirt, and slowly, the small gathering began to depart. People from school swapped stories, townspeople murmured about how _tragic_ it was that she had died so soon after graduation, right when she had her whole future in front of her and Caroline felt the urge to run multiplying. Catching Elena’s eye, she knew her friend was thinking the same thing and the four of them briskly made their way out of the cemetery and took the path towards the town square.

“Should we grab some lunch?” asked Matt quietly as they passed in front of the grill. They all nodded silently and walked inside; taking a booth that afforded them some privacy from the pitying stares of the other diners. Their black outfits confirmed what everybody already knew; one more tragic young death had occurred in the once peaceful town.

“Why do they have to stare at us like that?” Caroline muttered, and Matt squeezed her arm comfortingly.

“They feel bad for us,” he said, and Caroline wished she could conjure up an inch of his patience.

“If they feel so bad, you think they’ll buy us free drinks?” asked Damon, pointedly staring down an old lady at the table next to them and Caroline felt Elena kick him under the table.

“Behave!” she whispered harshly and he shot her one of his smirks. Elena didn’t hold her irritation for long and smiled back and Caroline watched the small exchange with a measure of discomfort. On one hand, they were happy, and she wanted to be happy for them. On the other hand, this was still Damon Salvatore…it was going to take some time for her to adjust.

(Then again, she doesn’t exactly have the moral high ground here, does she?)

The four sat lapsed into silence for another moment, and Caroline cast around for a topic of conversation. There was nothing they could talk about that wouldn’t involve their deceased best friend, but somehow, they had to move on. Moving on was something they had all become good at, after all.

(Except, she never thought that this was something she’d have to move on from. Not to mention the grief over a certain hybrid who was no doubt tearing his way through New Orleans right now. More than anything, she wished he was here to hold her hand, kiss her hair, pull her close and make her think that somehow, things would be alright.

But he wasn’t here. And things were _so_ far from alright.)

“So…how were your summers?” she asked tentatively, glancing around at her friends faces.

Damon and Elena shared a small smile, before turning to the others. “We mostly stayed low,” said Elena. “We had to keep Jeremy hidden and we’ve been working on some ways he could maybe finish up school – but he’ll probably have to homeschool it unless we want to compel the entire town or move to another city.”

“You could give him a complete makeover!” suggested Caroline brightly and they laughed for a moment. It was nice to laugh again.

“I think Little Gilbert would rather learn from my wealth of expertise,” said Damon with a smirk, earning himself an eye roll from Caroline.

“I’m sure his ability to hold his liquor will skyrocket,” she said before turning to Matt. “What about you Matty, how was Europe?”

“How was Barbie Klaus?” asked Damon smarmily, and Elena smacked his arm though even she looked apprehensive for Matt’s answer.

“ _Rebekah_ was great,” said Matt stiffly. Caroline gave him an encouraging smile and he relaxed a little. “We went to Paris first, it was amazing! We saw the Eiffel Tower and the Arc du Triomphe and we went to all these little cafés. Rebekah snuck us in the catacombs and we spent an entire night just exploring them. We moved on to Amsterdam, and London, and then Edinburgh – “

“Right, you did the whole summer whirlwind romance thing,” interrupted Damon, and if he hadn’t been paying so much attention to Matt, he might’ve noticed how Caroline stiffened. “What I want to know is, is the Original Barbie coming back here?”

Matt sighed and looked down. “Look, when I went on this trip with Rebekah, I made it clear that it was just going to be the summer for us. We took separate flights after I got the call about Bonnie, we said our goodbyes. I’m not sure where she went.”

“I’m sorry Matt,” said Elena softly. “Did – did you two ever…”

Matt shook his head, looking up again. “No, we kissed a few times, but we didn’t go farther. I think we both knew that it was only ever going to be a short trip and I think we were both okay with that.”

Elena smiled and reached across the table to grab his hand. “Look, the important thing is that you’re back. Both of you!” she said happily, looking at Caroline. “What about you Care? What’d you do for two months?”

“Oh, you know…just took a road trip, saw some sights…” she said, avoiding eye-contact.

“Sounds like a party Barbie,” said Damon mockingly and she glared at him.

“Anyway,” said Elena, with a pointed look at her boyfriend, “like I said, you’re both back home, we can stick together now; figure out what we’re going to do from here.”

“Have you heard from Stefan?” asked Caroline suddenly, hoping they would have more insight into his strange behavior.

Damon grimaced, “About a week after you left he came back from wherever he had gone – I thought he’d be gone longer, but apparently, he was feeling like fucking things up a bit before really leaving.”

“What do you mean?” asked Caroline, slightly alarmed.

“He was being a dick, feeding off people and leaving them in alleyways, lounging around drinking through every bottle we have, and generally being an asshole.”

“Damon…” murmured Elena quietly. She looked at Caroline, her face clearly pained. “I don’t what happened. I mean he wasn’t happy…but he was such a different person, I guess he must have turned it off again.”

“What did you do?” asked Caroline.

“I told him to get the hell out of town,” said Damon angrily. “Thankfully, he packed up and listened.”

“But didn’t you try to help him or anything?” asked Caroline, unable to keep the anger out of her voice.

Damon scoffed, “Listen sunshine, I’m not sure how it works in your world, but when someone clearly wants to be a dick, the best thing to do is to get them to be a dick far, far away from you.”

“But this is Stefan we’re talking about!” she cried. “He’s hasn’t been like this for a while, he wanted to just get out, get away, why did he come back a completely different person so soon after he left – “

“We tried talking to him,” said Elena, her eyes pleading with Caroline to understand. “But he wouldn’t listen to a thing we had to say. We just wanted some peace, Caroline.”

Caroline took a breath and looked anywhere but at the couple. Of course they wanted peace to live out their honeymoon stage, regardless of how messed up Stefan was. Something was seriously wrong with him, she just needed to talk to him herself again, and maybe she could figure it out.

Damon eyed her, noting her obvious disappointment. “Look Blondie, I wouldn’t judge if I were you. You weren’t here; you didn’t see what he was like.”

“I met him in California,” Caroline shot back immediately. Their eyes widened in shock, and she continued, “I was in LA just three days ago and he was there. And you know what, you’re right, he was a complete ass to me. But I know Stefan, and something serious must have happened for him to get like that.”

Her accusation hangs in the air unsaid, the ‘something serious’ could very well have been Elena’s choice of Salvatore. But somehow, she suspected there was something more to it. Elena ran a hand over her face, and Damon squeezed her shoulder before turning back to Caroline with narrowed eyes.

“You know Blondie, I couldn’t help but notice your car in the driveway when you came over last night.”

“Yeah, so?”

“You just said you were in LA – three days ago. You saw Stefan the night we called you about Bonnie.”

“Damon, where are you going with this?” asked Elena, shooting a glance between her friend and her boyfriend.

“I’m getting there,” he said with a smirk. “Barbie, you said you roadtripped it out to California, and since your car’s been missing from your house for the past two months; I’m guessing that’s the car you took? Now my question is, if you flew back from LA after we told you about Bonnie, how come your car’s here?”

Caroline remained still and silent, starting Damon down. She hadn’t thought this through, but then, she didn’t expect the interrogation. Her mind ran through every possible lie, she had compelled somebody to bring her car back, she had somehow flown it across the country she had –“

_Hang on._

Why was she lying to them? All that time spent feeling guilty over not telling them, the guilt that had caused her to run from Klaus, and she was still contemplating keeping the secret?

She took a deep breath. _Time to face the music._

“You’re right Damon,” she said, and they all leaned forward, waiting for her response. “My car was here because I never took it in the first place.”

“Then whose-“

“I took Klaus’.”

“You did _what?!”_ yelled Damon, and the people surrounding them turned and glared.

“I went on that trip with Klaus,” Caroline said. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the weight lifted off her chest, she felt like she could breathe again. Elena looked shocked and betrayed, Damon looked like he wanted to rip her head off and Matt stayed quiet. She had worked up the courage though, and she knew this was right thing to do.

“We went across the country together as friends. We saw the St. Louis Arch, the Grand Canyon, the sunset in New Mexico. And I…I kissed him in Vegas and we started a relationship in Santa Monica.”

“Caroline…why?” asked Elena quietly, her eyes glazed with hurt.

Caroline took a deep breath and found her next words. “Because…I fell in love with him.”

Damon shook his head in disgust. “You’re delusional Blondie, if you think that psycho can actually be loved.”

“Go to hell Damon,” she spat. Her eyes softened as she looked to Elena again, the girl was shaking her head in disbelief.

“Just…he’s _Klaus,_ Caroline. What about Tyler?”

“Tyler’s happy down with a pack in Florida. And honestly – I was happy too. So happy, for the first time in a long time. Look, I can’t change what happened, but…I don’t regret, it either.”

“But, everything he’s done…how could you Caroline?” asked Elena, tears shining in her eyes.

Caroline sighed and ran her hand through her hair before looking up at Damon and then back at her friend. “How could you, Elena?” she asked quietly.

Elena gasped, “Damon’s different, you can’t compare –“

“No, I won’t compare,” said Caroline gathering her purse. “I’m not going to play a game of equivalencies with you.” She stood up and faced her (best?) friend one more time. “Look, like I said, I don’t regret what happened. But I do regret not telling you, and I’m sorry for that.”

Elena looked down, “I don’t know what to say, Caroline.”

“Neither do I,” Caroline replied. “I guess… goodbye Elena. Bye Matt. Damon.” With a nod, she briskly walked out, willing herself not to break down. As she opened the Grill’s front door, she broke into a sprint, stopping only when she had reached her house, wrenched open the front door and darted straight up to her room, throwing herself on her bed. Finally alone, she could think about everything that had happened, and all that she could think was that she lost both childhood friends in one swoop. She doubted Elena would ever talk to her again, and if Bonnie was on the Other Side watching all of this, she was probably just as disappointed in Caroline as the others were.

She was alone. Completely alone. And so, she let herself cry.

* * *

 

Hours later, a little after the sun had gone down, she heard her mom come through the front door and make her way up the stairs.

“Caroline?” she said, opening the door slowly. Taking in the sight of her daughter curled up on the bed with tear tracks running down her face, she walked in and sat down.

“Sweetie, how was the funeral?”

“It was alright. I mean, it was a funeral, how good could it be?” answered Caroline dully. Her mom nodded and stood up. “How about I get us some hot chocolate, huh?”

As her mom left, Caroline pulled herself up and looked around for something to do. Eyes falling on the small silver camera set on the desk, she walked over and sat down, booting up her laptop. Taking the small memory card from the camera, she put it in the computer and waited for the pictures to load. There were hundreds of them. Every city they had passed through, every stop they had taken, there was something, some memento of what they had done. Rolling fields and dusty desert highways, arches, canyons, hotels, beaches – it really had been an amazing summer. And of course, there was _him._

He rarely looked towards her; she knew he hated posing for photos so she had taken to snapping candid pictures of him whenever he wasn’t looking. His image slammed her with memories of what it had been like to have him next to her all the time, and she just barely managed to choke down a sob. Scrolling through the photos, she stopped at a familiar one and opened it up, letting the image fill her screen. The background showed the Grand Canyon and there was Klaus, pressing a kiss to her cheek as she smiled. She remembered her shock and joy when she had taken that picture, and how it had signified how much she trusted him. Now it just caused her heart to ache.

Quickly selecting every file, her finger hovered over the ‘Delete’ button, but she just couldn’t bring herself to erase them all permanently. Fishing through her desk drawer for a small USB stick, she plugged it into her laptop and copied every file to it, pulling the stick out and making her way over to her vanity where a small jewelry box sat. She pulled out the box’s false bottom and hid the stick there, promising herself that she wouldn’t be the girl that just sobbed over pictures of her ex for weeks.

(Time would tell if she managed to stick to that promise.)

The door to her room was eased open again and her mom stood there with two piping hot mugs of hot chocolate. She sat down on her bed and took one of the mugs, sipping it slowly and relishing in the familiar taste. It was what her parents had given her whenever she was upset, after they fought, after she didn’t get her way in school, whenever she was upset over a boy. Her mom sat next to her, not saying anything and Caroline felt grateful that she was waiting until she was ready to talk.

“Mom…there’s something I need to tell you,” she started, her voice small.

“Sweetie, what is it?” asked Liz, concerned over how quiet her normally bright and bubbly daughter was being.

Caroline set her hot chocolate down on her nightstand and pulled herself up on the bed, sitting cross-legged and facing her mom fully. “I need…I need you to promise me that you won’t freak out, okay? I mean I know you probably will because it’s kind of a huge bombshell, but I can’t stand anyone else hating me right now, so please, _please,_ just hear me out, okay?”

Her mom set her own mug down and turned towards Caroline with an anxious expression. “Caroline, what’s wrong? No one hates you, they could never hate you-“

“Yes they could, mom. They do.” Caroline fought the tears that were coming up again and took a deep breath. “That’s why I need you to listen to the full story, okay?”

Liz nodded and Caroline took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she had to say. “The truth is, mom…I didn’t go on my trip alone. I went with Klaus.”

Her mom paled slightly and her eyes widened in shock, but otherwise she remained silent, and Caroline took that as a better sign than her yelling and freaking out.

“Why did you go with him?” she asked quietly, her voice even.

“The thing about Klaus is…he’s always sort of promised that one day, he’d take me to ‘see the world’.”

(Liz looked slightly alarmed at the fact that a thousand year old hybrid had plans on taking her daughter on international trips, but to her credit, she kept quiet.)

“So at the start of summer, when I found out everyone was settled, I asked Klaus if he would take me on a trip, and he did. And we went across the country and we saw these amazing things, and I had an amazing time – and when we got to California, he and I, we sort of…”She took a deep breath, working up the courage for the next part. “We fell in love. We started a relationship. But when I got called back here because of Bonnie and he got called back to New Orleans, we argued over our priorities and I guess it’s over now.” Her voice dropped and tear fell at her last words, remembering how angry they had been at each other. Her mom was still silent, but it looked like she was processing the news pretty well.

“Caroline, sweetie…you really loved him?”

“Yeah, mom. I really did.” She looked up and upon seeing the pain on her face; her mom leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her.

“Caroline, I could never hate you because you fell in love.”

“Really?” she asked as she pulled away. “You’re not mad?”

Liz sighed, and took Caroline’s hands in hers. “I won’t pretend I fully understand. The last time I checked, Klaus was evil, but then, I’m not always the one in the loop, so if you really trust him – wait, you’re still on vervain, aren’t you?”

Caroline nodded quickly, and her mom sighed in relief. “Then, I just want to know what I can do to make things better.”

Caroline let out a small sob of relief and threw her arms back around her mom. “Thank you mommy,” she whispered, her words muffled.

Liz pulled back and stood up, taking the two mugs that were on the small table. “How about I get us some more, hmm?” As she walked out, Caroline flopped back down on her bed, her whole body brimming with relief. Her mom didn’t hate her. She could handle the others as long as her mom still loved her.

Suddenly, she heard a knock at the front door and her mom answered, telling whoever it was to go straight up. Caroline bolted upright, staring at her doorway, wondering who would come see her after she had made herself into a pariah. Footsteps neared the door and she sucked in a breath, only to release it as Matt walked into her room.

“Hey Care,” he said gently. “Mind if I sit down?”

Stunned, she shook her head and he sat down the edge of her bed, fiddling with his hands.

“Matt, what are you doing here?” Caroline asked softly, bracing herself for a lecture or accusatory questions.

“Caroline, I want you to know I’m okay with you and Klaus.” Whatever she had expected him to say, that definitely wasn’t it. She sat up straight and looked at him carefully, but she was met with open honesty.

“Why? What made you change your mind?” she asked warily.

“I don’t think I ever really minded in the first place,” he said with a small smile and she realized that throughout the scene at the Grill, he had remained quiet.

“I mean, I was shocked,” Matt continued, “but I’m not angry at you. I mean, am I really in any position to be?”

“But you and Rebekah…you said it never really progressed past a few kisses. Klaus and I, we went the whole nine yards,” she admitted nervously, waiting for him to rescind his acceptance at any moment.

Matt scrunched up his face, “Okay, I don’t need the gory details!” he said, his face breaking out in a grin, and Caroline felt herself smiling too.

“Look Care, I may not have taken things too far with Rebekah, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t seriously think about it. She was great, she was funny and worldly and she told these amazing stories…” He trailed off, lost in thought and Caroline reached forward to squeeze his hand.

“I get it, Matt. Why…why didn’t you take it any farther?”

He looked back at her and the hesitation on his face gave her the answer.

“Right, no vampires, right?”

“I’m sorry Care, but I know what I want. How fair would it be if I led her on? Besides, we had agreed before we left, it would just be the summer. I finally got the chance to get out of Mystic Falls and we had a great time, and I think she really enjoyed herself. We had exactly what we needed, that’s the important part.”

“I’m happy for you Matty,” Caroline said, squeezing his hand again. “And thank you for not hating me.”

Matt gave her a sympathetic look. “I talked to Elena, you know. She’s not so much angry as she feels hurt, but you guys are going to live forever, right? Couldn’t you make up one day?”

Caroline nodded absentmindedly, looking off at the wall. “One day, maybe. Not tomorrow, though,” she said with a small sigh.

Matt didn’t stay too long after that, and her mom came back in to talk some more. They drank some hot chocolate, they caught up and eventually, she went to sleep. Caroline tried to get to sleep as well, but her mind was in overdrive. She had argued with Klaus because of the loyalty she felt towards her friends, but now, where was it? Or rather, what was there for her to do with it? Matt, her mom and her would be fine. Elena would probably need quite a bit of time to get to terms with this, but she was willing to wait. So now, what was keeping her here?

Feeling suffocated all of a sudden, she jumped out of her bed, getting dressed and grabbing her keys. She tiptoed down the stairs and out of the front door, quickly getting in her car and driving off into the night.

* * *

 

Miles away, the air was warm that night in New Orleans. A large mansion stood in the Garden District, home to two supernaturals centuries older than the city itself. One of those men, a hybrid, was sequestered away in the attic surrounded by canvases, most still wet. Stroke after stroke, colour met canvas, as Klaus vented every pent up emotion he had.

None of it helped him vent the memory of _her._

She was everywhere. The bright Louisiana sun reminded him of her smile; the sound of laughter reminded him of her innate joy. Every blonde on the street caused him to turn his head, every morning he felt the phantom warmth of her next to him. And she’d only been out of his life for _three days._

He didn’t know how he could continue like this. On one hand, he knew he still felt angry that she was so ready to condemn herself to a lifetime in Mystic Falls to aid friends that he knew would never fully appreciate her loyalty, on the other hand, he felt like he was on the brink of getting into the next plane to Mystic Falls and resolving to never leave her side. But his indecision left him in limbo, so all he could do was hole himself up in the attic which he had converted into an art studio and let out every emotion he felt into the scenes he depicted on the canvas.

He growled, angrily adding some blood red paint to his picture. He should have been concentrating on the witches, on Marcel and figuring out how he could best go about acquiring his power. But _damn her,_ because every time he thought about his kingdom, he remembered the look of pain in her eyes when she asked him why he couldn’t just rely on people to make him happy.

_‘She made him happy. Happier than he had ever been.’_

A sharp knock on the door jolted him out of his reverie. He said nothing but growled lightly, knowing his brother would hear, but Elijah was never one for being told what to do. The door creaked open and Elijah strode in, inspecting the bevy of canvases and the stories they each told.

“Felt a rush of inspiration, have you?” Elijah asked drily.

Klaus whirled around, “Brother, I’ll thank you to leave me alone if you don’t want a dagger in the heart for the next decade.”

Elijah merely faced his brother down, raising his eyebrow. “A dagger threat so early in the conversation? You’re more on edge than I initially suspected.”

A growl tore through Klaus’ throat. “What do you want, Elijah?” he asked, feeling his patience being tested.

Elijah frowned, taking a step towards his younger brother, noting how tired he seemed. “I want to know what happened to you over these past few months.”

Klaus stiffened almost imperceptibly, but nothing escaped his older brother. “What do you mean, Elijah?” he asked, working hard to keep his voice steady.

Elijah sighed and turned to look at the painting Klaus was working on, one of a sunset over a desert terrain. “Two months ago, you left New Orleans because of an invitation in the mail to a high school graduation in Mystic Falls. One I know for a fact our sister never attended. You then call me with instructions to oversee the tensions in this city, and keep contact minimal for two months during which time I understand you decided to take a little trip across the country for no discernible reason.”

“Firstly, I did speak with Johanna, I needed her advice – “

Elijah held up his hand, cutting him off. “Seeing Johanna would hardly have taken up the entirety of the time you were gone. So I’ll ask you right now – what were you doing?”

Klaus’ jaw tightened, his hands clenching by his sides. He was ready to go for his brother’s jugular, but something stopped him. He didn’t want to keep Caroline his dirty little secret, he wanted her by his side, his perfect queen. And while she might currently be resistant to the idea, the least he could do on his end was come clean to his brother. So, he took a deep breath before he answered.

“I was with a girl.”

(In the future, he would look back on this moment as the first time in a thousand years he had managed to render his big brother speechless.)

“A…girl?” asked Elijah, completely baffled.

“Yes, a female, I’m sure you’re acquainted with them?” Klaus asked with a smirk.

His brother hardly looked impressed at his wit, and rolled his eyes.

“And who was the young lady?” he asked warily.

“Caroline Forbes.”

Elijah’s eyes widened as he remembered everything he knew about the young woman. “Elena Gilbert’s friend?” he asked, not missing the way Klaus flinched at the mention of Elena.

“She’s much more than the doppelganger’s friend,” Klaus said. “She asked me to take her on a trip to get her out of that godforsaken town and we took a drive across the country. When we reached California…we started a relationship.”

Elijah absorbed the news as best as he could, though he still couldn’t believe it. “Was it very serious?” he asked cautiously.

Klaus set down his paintbrush and made his way over to a small table where his sketchbook lay. Flipping to the sketch of Caroline in Oklahoma City, he took it over to his brother and watched his reaction carefully.

Elijah inspected the drawing, impressed at always at his brother’s skill. The girl he had depicted was the picture of light and radiance and he wondered at how his blood-thirsty brother had managed to fall for something so young and bright.

“How did it happen?” he asked, pulling an old chair from the corner and taking a seat.

Klaus resumed painting, thinking over the time he had shared with Caroline. “We got to know each other, I suppose. All that time we spent on the road, in the car – she’s magnificent, you know. Strong, fearless, full of light.”

“I have no doubt,” said Elijah, a small smile forming on his face. “So you fell in love then?”

Klaus scoffed. “Love is a vampires greatest weakness. I’ve told you this before.”

Elijah just laughed in his face. “You are an absolute fool, you know that? You are surrounded by the effect that this girl has had on you and you’re trying to tell me she was just a passing fancy? I hope I get to know her better someday so that I might understand how she succeeded where so many others failed.”

Klaus’ hand stilled, his teeth gritting together. “I doubt you’ll get the chance, brother. She was called home and made it perfectly clear that was where she was needed.”

“She’s loyal to her friends,” mused Elijah. “An admirable trait. One I would think you’d appreciate.”

“She’s not loyal to me,” said Klaus quietly.  Elijah sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“But she is a loyal person. If this is meant to work out, then give it time.”

Klaus contemplated Elijah’s words, turning and looking at his older brother contemplatively.

“Did you just give me relationship advice?” he asked, his lips tilting upwards.

Elijah shrugged, a small smirk forming on his lips. “In a thousand years, I suppose there’s a first time for everything. Goodnight, brother.”

Klaus waited until Elijah was gone to take a breath and let a full smile form.  Despite his general annoyance at having any member of his family pry into his life, it did feel like a relief to get the story off his chest. And perhaps his brother was right; perhaps time was what was needed most.

Looking out the attic window, he could see the streets below dark at this late hour. In the dim streetlight, a cab pulled up in front of the mansion and as he leaned closer, he could just see a blonde head of hair run out and dart towards the front door.

His breath caught in his throat.

_Could she actually be here…_

He found himself frozen in his spot, though he heard the front door open and Elijah’s voice saying “He’s upstairs in the attic.” A few seconds later, the attic door was opened again and a young blonde woman stepped through the door.

“Hello Nik.”

_“Rebekah?!”_

* * *

The Falls were a peaceful spot this late at night and Caroline sat down on the grassy cliff overlooking the lake, staring up at the stars. She remembered the night she had stargazed over the Grand Canyon and let herself drown in the memories. It was so weird to think that just a few days ago they had been so happy and so ready to let themselves take another trip, make new memories together.

She missed him. Terribly. She knew it was the phone calls that pulled them apart, but she also blamed Stefan for putting their worst fears back in the forefront of their minds…

_‘Stefan.’_

That was another problem. What the hell was wrong with him?! Heartbreak was one thing, turning your emotions off, sure, she might have been able to understand that, but the Stefan everyone described seemed like such a _different_ person…

Wait. Hold on.

_"Caroline, I swear to you that there is a locker sitting at the bottom of the Falls with a body in it.”_

(No. Fucking. Way.)

She was on her feet in the next second. Her shoes were kicked off and her jacket hit the ground. She pulled her hair up into a bun and prepared herself for what she had to do.

“Thank god for being a vampire ,” she muttered before sprinting to the edge of the cliff and diving off, straight as an arrow into the inky black water.

_We had it all_   
_We were just about to fall_   
_Even more in love_   
_Than we were before_   
_I won't forget_   
_I won't forget_   
_About us_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's hoping poor Stefan gets out of that lake.  
> Chapter title and song lyrics are from 'Don't Forget' by Demi Lovato


	11. I Won't Give Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some friendship and sibling fluff. So sweet it'll make you sick.

  
_And when you're needing your space_   
_To do some navigating_   
_I'll be here patiently waiting_   
_To see what you find_

Between dying of fire or ice, Caroline had more experience with the former. From the first time she realized sunlight was her natural enemy to the agonizing hours she spent under her father’s torture, she knew what it was like to really _burn_ and suffice it to say, she never wanted to go through that again.

But right now, she would _kill_ for some of that heat.

The frigid water seeped into her clothes and turned her insides to ice. She broke surface of the lake, frantically gasping for breath. What the hell had she been thinking?! She should be doing this during the daytime when she had more light, or she should have some proper equipment with her, or she should have help from _somebody…_

But there’s nobody around, and she’s willing to bet nobody would be ready to help her at this hour. She could come back later but her instinct tells her that she needs to get to the bottom of this _right now_ because every second that passes counts. The water continued to cling to her; she swore she could feel it pulling her under, pulling her towards the darkness and she fought it as best as she could.

( _Goddammit,_ she was a _vampire_ she should be able to handle this!)

She treaded the water, and fought to steady her breathing and think clearly. She needed to get a hold of herself and get in control of the situation. Suddenly, she imagined Klaus was next to her, or nearby, flashing her that infamous smirk, daring her to be the vampire he always imagined her as.

(It never mattered that she was just a baby vampire to him. He used to tell her he knew she would be great someday.)

_‘What’s the matter sweetheart, can’t you swim?’_

She scowled. Klaus-in-her-head had a point, she was a red-cross certified swimmer, and this was definitely something she could do. But the water was so dark, how was she supposed to find the locker at the bottom of this lake, how was she supposed to open it…

‘ _Vampire senses are heightened for a reason love, surely you can utilize them?’_

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself under the water again, scanning the lake for any sign of what she was looking for. Her eyesight was exponentially better than any human’s but still she could  make out very little, just an expanse of blackness illuminated by the faint amount of moonlight that managed to penetrate the water’s surface.

She was about to go up for air again before she spotted something glinting a few yards to her right. The moonlight had hit the edge of a silver locker, and she realized that was what Stefan had been talking about. She did go to the surface then, gathering her breath and courage before diving back and swimming over. There was a pretty big lock on it, but that was done away with easily. The door was a little hard to wrench open but she managed to budge it slightly before she went back to the surface once more. Gulping in a breath, she tried to ignore her aching muscles but again, the mental image of Klaus was there, smirking and taunting her.

_‘Vampire strength is one of our biggest perks you know. It would be a shame not to fully utilize it.’_

Even as some apparition in her head, the bastard was right. And she felt herself growing determined, wanting to prove to him that she was perfectly capable of handling this herself, she didn’t need anybody to do this for her.

(But Klaus isn’t actually there – so who is she really proving this to?)

Steeling her nerves, she swam back down to the locker and wrapped her fingers around the edge of the door that she had barely managed to pry off. Bracing her feet against the lake floor she pulled back with everything she had, not willing to stop until she got it open or drowned herself. Just as her lungs were fit to burst she heard the snap of one of the hinges and then the second and the slab of steel was in her hands.

_‘Holy shit I did it, I actually did it…’_

The victory dance would have to wait though because entombed in the locker was a body and as she hesitantly swam close she could make out Stefan’s features, laying still, his skin pale and eyes closed. He looked like a corpse and she felt herself flooded with panic.

‘ _Vampires can’t die from drowning…’_

Her question was answered as Stefan’s eyes suddenly snapped open and she flung herself back automatically. His head turned, and his gaze locked on hers, shocked and…relieved? His mouth moved but no sound came, and she realized how weak he must have been. Quickly swimming over, she wound her arm around his chest and pulled him out, kicking frantically to get them both to the surface. Once they broke the water, she coughed and spluttered, looking over at her friend who was almost limp in her arms, though he sucked in air greedily.

“C – Caroline?” he whispered, turning his tired eyes towards hers’ once more. He was on the brink of starvation and her heart went out to him, clenching painfully at the thought of him drowning in that locker _over and over,_ no one realizing that the Stefan they thought they knew was an imposter.

_‘Silas.’_

Screw age or immortality. When she saw that son of a bitch again, she was driving a stake in his heart.

Whipping her head around, she let out a cry of frustration when she realized that there was no way she could get Stefan up the steep cliff walls. She’d have to go the long route, up the hiking trail that led back up to the spot where she had parked her car. Adjusting Stefan’s arm around her shoulders, she got them to shore and started the long trail. To his credit, he tried to support himself as much as he could, and she knew he was slowly regaining strength just from being out in open air again.

“Just a little farther,” she muttered, having actually little idea how long they had been walking or how much longer it would take. “Just a little more.”

They finally broke the tree line and came up to the main road, and she almost cried in relief at the sight of her car. Stefan sagged against her and she turned to look at him, but stopped in her tracks suddenly.

How exactly did she know this was Stefan? What if she had just unwittingly helped the most powerful creature on the planet get loose, what if he was going to wreak havoc on _everything,_ what if –

“Caroline,” Stefan whispered and she looked at him, really _looked._ And it may have been the same face that threw callous words at her in that alleyway in Los Angeles, but the eyes were so different. There was life, and warmth and pain, and everything that the Stefan Salvatore she knew had in him.

“Thank you,” he whispered, and that’s when she knew she had made the right choice. Stefan thanked her. Silas would have killed her.

She gave him what she hoped to be her best reassuring smile and they continued to her car. Wrenching open the front door, she helped him into the passenger seat, and zipped back over to the grassy embankment where her jacket and shoes lay. Grabbing both, she ran back, and got in, looking over to see Stefan unconscious. She needed to get blood in him, _fast._

Caroline wasn’t sure how many speeding laws she broke to get back to her house but they pulled up in the driveway barely six minutes later. Gingerly, she helped Stefan out of the car and together they limped up the steps and into the front door. Once he was situated on her living room couch, she raided the freezer for blood bags, mentally thanking her mom for stocking up last night. Bringing an armful over to Stefan, she lifted the straw of one to his lips, watching carefully as he slurped it up, the colour returning to his skin.

“I know it’s human blood,” she said in a frantic whisper, “but you need your strength back and if it’s just this once I figured it would be okay, and I know you can control yourself because you’re amazing at it and I really didn’t want to waste any time hunting because there was no time and _God_ you were dying Stefan and-“

“Caroline,” he croaked, “you’re rambling.” He gave her a wan smile, and took another blood bag from her. After that there was another, and one more, and then the last. As the bag was finally emptied, he sighed and he looked fully and completely alive once more, though Caroline couldn’t help but look him over for any other sign of injury.

“I’m fine Caroline,” he said, sounding like himself again. “I was just staked and put it that safe, the blood did the trick.”

“So it was Silas,” she whispered, feeling tears prick at her eyes. She sat down on the sofa next to him and laid back against the cushions, the exhaustion of what she had done  catching up to her. “I’m sorry Stefan. I’m so, _so,_ sorry.”

Stefan sighed and turned to her, squeezing her shoulder. “Silas told me he was my doppleganger – or I’m his, I don’t really know. Something about nature needing balance, I wasn’t paying too much attention to him, I was too busy being locked in a box.” Even as he recounts the moment, he’s smiling, his dry humour lightening the mood. But his face turned somber as he took a deep breath. “There’s something else, Caroline. Silas was able to get free because the witch who trapped him died. He said Bonnie – is Bonnie really…”

Caroline nodded, and there was no stopping the tears now. “She’s dead. She died bringing Jeremy back from the dead permanently. And none of us knew Stefan, we thought she was out of town, we thought she was fine! We thought you were fine…”

She couldn’t help but let guilt crush down on her again, but Stefan pulled her up and into a hug, rubbing circles on her back. He pulled away, looking her in eyes. “Listen, you couldn’t have known. You’re not a bad person, Caroline, you were tricked, and I’m not blaming you for that.”

She shook her head, “But I just _left,_ I got out right after graduation, I should have known something was wrong when you never answered any of my calls or texts –“

“How long was I under there?” he asked.

“Just about two months,” she answered. He nodded and they lapsed into silence for a moment.

“How did…” Stefan took a breath, and he looked extremely reluctant to ask his next question. “What did Silas do? As me?”

“He was a complete ass,” answered Caroline, her fury rising as she remembered everything she’d been told. “He went around being a dick to everybody, he binged on blood – I’m not too sure what exactly else he did while he was here, I ran into him in LA so-“

“Wait, you were in LA?” asked Stefan curiously.

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a long story, I sort of went on a road trip – but that’s not important right now, you should probably rest or get out of your wet clothes or something-“

Stefan quickly shook his head, holding out a hand to stop her. “Caroline, I was stuck in that box, drowning repeatedly for two months. If I’m alone right now – look, I don’t want to be. I need to catch up, tell me about your trip, please.” She looked into his pleading gaze and understood that solitude was the last thing he needed right now, so she decided to respect that. But telling him about her trip might not end well, and the last thing she wanted was for Stefan of all people to be disappointed in her.

“Stefan…my trip, there’s something about it that I know I have to tell you, but please just…keep an open mind, okay?”

He looked worried now, and she took a deep breath. She had done this twice before, but Stefan was the one who would really be able to understand – she hoped.

“I went with Klaus. We started off as friends and we went across the country but once we reached California, we sort of…got together. _Together,_ together.”

Stefan’s eyes were widened but he nodded quietly, scrutinizing the look on her face. “You…and Klaus? A relationship?”

“I loved him, Stefan,” she said quietly. “No, that’s not right – I _love_ him. I didn’t stop, but we had this huge fight. He went back to New Orleans and I told him I had to come back and stay here because this is my home and I had to stay loyal to everybody here, and he wasn’t too happy to hear that.”

Stefan was silent for a moment, but he reached forward and squeezed her hand. “Klaus doesn’t – he doesn’t take it well when people leave.”

She laughed bitterly. “Yeah, I figured that out pretty quickly.”

He gave her a soft smile. “This is the guy who spent a thousand years trying to build an army who would always stay by his side, who daggered his siblings so that he could keep them close – abandonment issues is putting it lightly.”

Caroline sighed, and tucked her feet under her on the couch. “So, I was stupid to get involved with him?”

“Were you happy?” asked Stefan quietly.

She nodded, feeling the tears gather again. “I was. I was so completely _happy_ , all the time.”

“Then you weren’t stupid. Not for doing something for yourself. Not if you don’t regret it. Do you?”

She thought about his question for a moment. Did she regret any of it? The sunny mornings and late nights in front of the fire, the endless days of blue skies and knowing that somebody was completely and absolutely devoted to you?

“No. I don’t regret a second of it.”

Stefan nodded once more, than exhaled loudly. “So you were in love, and you don’t regret it. You weren’t stupid, and you have nothing to be guilty for. It sounds pretty simple to me.”

Caroline frowned, “So, you don’t hate me, or think I’m making a giant mistake?”

“Caroline, the last time I saw Klaus, he had just saved Damon’s life. Because _you_  asked him to. And I know I could never hate you, so maybe the two of you together…look, stranger things have happened. If you were both happy, why fight it?”

 She couldn’t help the wide smile spreading across her face. Elena and Damon may hate her, her mom and Matt could accept her, but Stefan was the only one she knew would understand her and she loved him for it.

“So, how did it end so badly?” asked Stefan, relaxing into the couch cushions, turning to face Caroline who looked at him skeptically.

“Are you really sure you want to sit here and listen to my relationship insecurities at two in the morning?”

“Have you got anywhere to be?”

Caroline laughed before thinking of her answer. “I guess…well I said it was because I needed to come back here, to my home.”

“Alright…”

“And I did, really, not telling anybody was killing me! I mean as much as I loved him, it felt like I was running away, and I never wanted to do that.”

“So, you’re here now, and you haven’t told anybody yet?”

“Well, actually I told everybody. Elena and Damon may never speak to me again, but Matt said he was fine with it and my mom just wants me to be happy.”

“So, what now?” asked Stefan, cocking his head to the side.

“What do you mean?”

“You came back here, you told everybody, and you’ve accepted you love him – what happens now?”

Caroline shook her head, trying to sort out her thoughts. His question was so simple, but for some reason she didn’t have the answer. “I guess – I mean I told him that I needed to be here because my friends needed me, and he needed to understand that I was loyal to them. I mean, I screwed up enough considering I left for a summer with Bonnie dead and you at the bottom of the Falls – “

“You know you couldn’t have done anything, Caroline,” said Stefan sternly.

“But…”

“No, I don’t want you blaming yourself for what happened to me. You couldn’t have known. Bonnie too, she made her choice.  And right now, nothing you do can change what happened. Why is it all on you to help us?”

Caroline remained silent, picking the strands on the cushion she had pulled into her lap. Why was it all on her? Because she loved them. But she never could’ve helped Bonnie and she had saved Stefan, so what was left now?

“Look, Caroline,” said Stefan gently. “You’re loyal to your friends. But maybe right now…they don’t need it so much. Maybe you need to do something for yourself.”

“I wouldn’t be the absolute worst person in the world?” she asked quietly.

“I think you’d be you. Nobody can ask for more.”

Caroline sniffled and turned to Stefan, launching herself across the sofa and throwing her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a tight hug.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do about Klaus,” she said, her voice muffled by his still-damp jacket, “but I’m so glad you’re back.”

He pulled away, and stood up, stretching out his arms. “I guess it’s time for me to face the rest of them, huh?” he said, and sounded incredibly tired.

“You’re welcome to stay here until morning,” she said gently, knowing that going back to the boarding house would be a difficult task.

“No, I have to do it eventually, and I should tell Damon about Silas so that he’s prepared. But…” he turned back to Caroline with a small smile. “I’ll probably be back tomorrow. Is that okay?”

Caroline grinned. “I’ve got about five hundred pictures from my trip to show you, it’s more than okay.”

* * *

 

“So…”

“So…”

One might assume a thousand years is long enough to learn how to communicate with your siblings. That’s a lie. There’s never enough time, not when you’re Original vampires and constantly on the run. And there was the unfortunate addendum of being carted around in a coffin if Klaus didn’t like what you had to say. But right now, Klaus considered issuing a dagger threat towards his baby sister for no reason other than he had absolutely no clue what to say to her.

And threatening was so much easier than communicating, after all.

_‘She’s your sister, you should be nicer to her!’_

Caroline’s voice rang clear in his head and if he didn’t know any better, he’d say she was right behind him, prodding him to start the conversation. But of course, Caroline wasn’t here, but that doesn’t stop him from irrationally feeling the urge to follow her advice, if only because he felt she would be proud of him if he ever indeed saw her again.

(God, the things he would do for that girl.)

“Why don’t you sit down?” he asked Rebekah, gesturing towards the old chair Elijah had sat in earlier. For a moment it looked like Rebekah would scoff or sneer but then she nodded hesitantly and sat down, her eyes roaming over the paintings in the room.

“You’ve been painting a lot,” she observed.

“I have,” he replied, unsure how to ask the question on his mind. Clearing his throat, he cast around for the right words.

“How was your summer? With the quat – with _Matt._ ” He winced internally at the memory of Caroline correcting him each time he mentioned the boy as simply ‘the quarterback’.

_“He has a name Klaus, you should try using it!”_

He shook his head to rid himself of the memory, but it stuck. Concentrating on Rebekah, he saw how her eyes widened in shock before narrowing in suspicion.

“How could you possibly know about that? I specifically didn’t tell you, or Elijah.”

“I found out, I always find out,” he said dismissively. She was about to start off on him again, he could tell, so he quickly raised his hands in defense. “Look, I’m not going to hurt the boy or anything of the sort. I was just wondering how your summer was.”

Rebekah gaped at him, and when he thought about it, this was probably the first time in a thousand years that he had simply asked her how she was doing with no ulterior motive or threat.

“I was – it was good. It was really good. Lots of fun.”  She spoke hesitantly, as if she thought he would go into a rage and speed to Mystic Falls to kill Matt for whatever reason.

Instead, Klaus mulled over her words, before nodding quietly. “I’m glad.”

Rebekah flinched back, before her hands clenched into fists and she bolted up from the chair. “Alright, what the bloody hell is going on?”

Klaus narrowed his eyes but fought to keep his temper in check. He shouldn’t have been surprised by this, the last time he saw his sister he was taking away her hopes and dreams of being human.

(But at the end of the day, was that ever something he was going to apologize for?)

“Merely wondering about your summer, Rebekah,” he said, his tone even.

“In a thousand years you’ve never given much of a damn what I do when I’m not around you, so why the interest now. What are you playing at?”

“Ask him about Caroline Forbes.”

The two whipped their heads to see Elijah leaning on the attic’s doorframe, smirking. Rebekah swiveled her head between her brothers, before landing on Klaus, her hands settling on her hips.

“Caroline Forbes? What about her, did you finally get her to pay you some attention?”

“Oh he succeeded by a mile.”

“Shut up Elijah,” Klaus growled, flexing his fingers and trying very, very hard to not think about the safe in his study where the daggers were stored.

“What do you mean ‘succeeded’?” asked Rebekah, and she sounded slightly alarmed. “As in, you got her to go for you? Is she here?” She eyes the door as if she expected the younger blonde to bounce up next to Elijah and berate them all for making such a racket so late. But nothing of the sort happened, and instead Elijah simply shook his head.

“Our brother had a bit of a summer romance, it’s done wonders for his disposition.”

“A summer _romance?!”_ screeched Rebekah.

Klaus rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, congratulating himself for holding on to his temper this long. “You weren’t the only one to take a trip this summer Rebkeah.”

“And you went with _Caroline?_ I mean I knew you were obsessed with her, but she actually came along willingly?”

“Am I the only one who didn’t know about this girl?” asked Elijah behind them and Rebekah turned quickly.

“She’s blonde, neurotic, loud, obnoxious, neurotic, obsessive, _way_ too perky, and did I mention neurotic?”

Klaus growled rather loudly at that, and she turned back to him with a smirk. “A pretty good match for you actually, now that I think about it.”

Elijah just chuckled and strode away. “We should invite her over for dinner sometime,” he said lightly and Klaus just rolled his head back and silently asked the heavens what he had done that his romantic life was now a source of humour for his family.

“So…a summer romance with Caroline. What, er, what did you do?” Rebekah was timid again, and Klaus snapped his gaze towards her. She looked just like he had felt earlier. Slightly unwilling, but wanting to make the effort. He suspected that if Caroline had had an influence on him, the Donovan boy must have had some influence on her too. Perhaps he should just go along with it.

“We went on a road trip. Once we reached California, we took up with each other, stayed there for about a month in the Santa Monica house.”

“You still have that house?” asked Rebekah in surprise, she had assumed the beautiful mansion had been sold sometime when she had been in a coffin.

Klaus nodded, “I’ve kept it up, and it’s quite beautiful.”

Rebekah was a little taken aback by his gesture, and it strengthened her resolve to actually communicate with her older brother. “So, where’s Caroline now?”

Klaus sighed and turned back to the painting he had been working on. “She’s in Mystic Falls, she got this phone call about – “

“Bonnie,” Rebekah finished. “Matt got the same one; it’s why we left Edinburgh. But we said our final goodbyes there; I wasn’t exactly itching to go back to that one-pony town. So, is Caroline going to come here then, or…”

“She’s not coming here, she made that perfectly clear,” said Klaus tersely.

“What happened,” she asked, and Klaus stiffened. Talking to Elijah was one thing, but his sister…

“Oh come on Nik, you might as well tell me or I’ll just wheedle it out of Elijah later.” She sat down in the chair again and crossed her arms impatiently. “Come on, we don’t have all day!”

Klaus ran a hand over his face and decided that while he was sharing tonight, he might as well just lay it all out.

“When Caroline got the call to go back to Mystic Falls, she became adamant that she stay there. I made it quite clear that my future was here, in New Orleans. We argued and parted ways; it was quite simple so I wouldn’t expect a shopping buddy to turn up on the door anytime soon.”

“And that’s it?” asked Rebekah skeptically.

“What more is there? She was ashamed of me, she wanted to go back to the comfort of her home, and I have better things to do than parlay with the inhabitants of Mystic Falls for the rest of my life.”

Rebekah laughed then, an actual full laugh. She managed to get a hold of herself, but she was wiping tears from the corners of her eyes when she spoke next.

“Oh God Nik, you really are an idiot.”

“Excuse me?!”

Rebekah sighed and looked at her brother. “Nik, the girl is eighteen years old. Of course she wanted to be with the people she’s known all her life.”

“So I have no chance then?”

“No, I’m not saying that, I’m saying you should be more understanding. Let me guess, you gave her the whole ‘this is my kingdom which I must reclaim and nobody will stand in my way’ speech?”

“More or less. But she should understand what ruling would mean to be me.”

“And she probably does understand it, more than you think. But maybe you should understand that she needs some time to reconcile herself with the idea. Not all of us have had a thousand years of this.”

Klaus winced slightly, feeling the truth of his sister’s words. Perhaps if he hadn’t blown up at Caroline, if he had sat her down and told her that she should take her time to think about whether she really wanted to stay in Mystic Falls forever, maybe if he had gone with her to the funeral…

“When did you become so understanding?” Klaus asked quietly. “The last time I checked, you held only scorn for Caroline.”

Rebekah looked away. “This summer with Matt – he used to talk about home. I had to learn to like it, and after a while, it wasn’t so bad. I mean Caroline’s annoying but she’s not the worst person. I mean it’s not like you fell for doppleganger.”

“You two are a lot alike you know,” said Klaus with a small grin.

“Matt used to say the exact same thing.” Rebekah smiled to herself, thinking over her summer but Klaus didn’t miss the slight hint of melancholy in her tone.

“Will he be coming here then?”

“Who, Matt?” asked Rebekah, but shook her head sadly. “No, he made it perfectly clear that we would just be going away for the summer. He wants to live out his human life, and I can understand that.”

Klaus sighed, rubbing his hands together. “Rebekah…about the cure. I know you wanted to be human, and I was ready to let you be – but after Silas…”

“I know, Nik.” They were silent for a moment.

“I would have missed you, after everything,” he admitted quietly.

Rebekah gaped, amazed that her brother had actually told her that. Deep down, she had suspected (well, hoped) that he really did have some sort of brotherly love for her, but to have it confirmed was a whole other matter. And she suspected she knew who to thank for this change of heart.

“You really did love her, didn’t you?”

He nodded, pained. “I think did. More than I thought I could. But it didn’t matter in the end.”

“You must stop being so defeatist, it’s depressing,” said Rebekah with a sniff. “For God’s sake, no one _died._ You still have a chance, not to mention eternity.”

Klaus raised an eyebrow, “Really? Now _you’re_ giving me relationship advice?”

“Well, I’m more obviously more attuned to women than you, so yes, I am.” She grinned then, and Klaus realized that a weight was lifting from his shoulders; he hadn’t fully known how much grief his sister’s hatred was causing him. The thought of both his siblings fighting in his corner was reassuring. It gave him hope that perhaps there was a chance after all.

“Look Nik, at the end of the day, you fell in love with someone incredibly young. And maybe you can’t help that, but you have to adapt to it. And if she makes you better…next time, you should hold onto it. With everything you’ve got.”

Klaus smiled at his sister, feeling a rush of affection for her. “Thank you Rebkeah. I appreciate it.”

“Yes, well, that was about all the sincerity I had left,” she said, standing once more. “So I’ll just say that if Caroline shows up here, she’s not borrowing any of my clothes and I expect both of you to keep it down or I reserve the right to kick her out.” Spinning on her heel, she marched out, leaving Klaus to his own devices.

He spun back to his painting, the sunset was coming together nicely, but it looked a mite too dark. As he mulled over the words of his siblings, he picked up his palette and added a dash of bright yellow to the picture.

* * *

 

It had been about a week since Stefan had been lifted from the bottom of the lake, and much to her chagrin, Caroline couldn’t bring herself to do much. She stayed indoors, the last few weeks of August creeping up on her, but she did her best to ignore the feeling of the summer slipping away. Stefan came over often, they talked about everything and nothing, each simply enjoying each other’s company.

Damon and Elena had been overjoyed and shocked to find out that the ‘asshole Stefan’ was an imposter and were glad to get the actual Stefan back. Silas was still a serious cause for concern, but he wasn’t there right now, so it was easy to focus on the positive. Caroline had gone over to the boarding house once to see how Stefan was holding up, but her reception was chilly. They were grateful to her, no doubt, Damon seemed more sincere than he had ever been towards her, but her history with Klaus weighed on their minds. It wasn’t something she was ever going to apologize for, but she thought that after saving Stefan and with some time, she and Elena could be friends again one day.

Still, she avoided them as much as she could. Stefan came over to her house frequently; she knew that Damon and Elena were still a sore point for him. But she was getting antsy, more and more each day, and she knew she had some serious decisions to make about the future.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true.

 She had made the decision. Subconsciously, she had made the decision ever since she admitted to still being in love that day of Bonnie’s funeral. But coming to terms with that decision was a whole other story, and it had taken time. Stefan’s words rang in her head every minute of every day, she didn’t owe her friends her undying loyalty if it meant never getting the chance to be happy herself, and she couldn’t change the past so why beat herself up trying?

It took that week, but eventually, everything clicked together. One day, mid-August, she threw the covers off of her, and something had shifted inside, she couldn’t really pinpoint it. A new sense of alertness awakened her senses, she felt like she could go for a run, or climb a mountain.

(Or maybe catch a flight to Louisiana.)

But she wasn’t doing anything hastily. Not this time. That was what had started the mess she had been in when she returned home, this time, she was doing things right. As she looked over her mother sitting at the breakfast table, she took breath.

“Mom?”

“Yeah, Caroline?”

“What would you say about me maybe going to university in Tulane?”

Her mom’s spoon clattered in the bowl as she stared up at her daughter. “You applied to Tulane?”

“Well, not exactly…”

“Then how – wait, were you going to compel yourself inside?”

Caroline smiled inwardly at the note of disapproval in her mom’s voice. “Mom, it was a miracle I managed to graduate with a perfect GPA while keeping up with all my extracurricular and dealing with an apocalypse. I drink blood to live. I think I cheat on this one thing. Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on compelling my professors for grades, I just wanted to get in!”

Her mom still looked skeptical, but broke out in a smile and they both started laughing. “Well, when you put it like that…” Liz narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “I expect you to keep in touch. And you have to come back for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

Caroline laughed and stood up, skipping over to her mom’s seat and kissing her on the cheek. “Thanks mom, I promise I’ll keep in touch.”

“So, this is something you’re definitely doing, then?” Liz asked with a bit of a sad smile.

“Well, nothing’s exactly set in stone…”

“Right, there’s –there’s Klaus too.”

Caroline nodded and sighed. “Yes, him too. Don’t worry mom, I’m working on it.”

Once her mom had left for work, Caroline rested on her bed, turning over the small USB stick that held all her trip pictures. She hadn’t had to hide them away forever, after her talk with Stefan she felt a bit better about going through them, but she wanted something a little more permanent than the small metal stick holding her memories.

Coming to a quick decision, she drove herself over to the nearest One-Hour photo lab, and when she next came back to her room, it was with an overflowing album stuffed with every single picture of the trip. Starting from the shots of Chicago and chronicling miles and miles of the wide open road, interspersed with cities and towns and one very attractive hybrid, she flipped through the pages and knew with absolute certainty that her decision had been made.

Her cellphone pressed to her ear, she waited for the line to pick up.

“Caroline?”

“Stefan? Can you come over right now?”

The older vampire stood in her room ten minutes later, as she sat on her bed, having just explained her little epiphany to him.

“So you’re actually going to him, huh?” Stefan didn’t sound surprised, but the small smile on his face indicated he had seen this one coming.

“Well, I’m going, whether it’s to _him_  depends on whether or not he still thinks I ‘betrayed’ him or not,” she said nervously. “I just wanted you to be the first to know. I’m not leaving right now, I need to pack and say goodbye to everyone – but I wanted to thank you too. For everything.”

Stefan nodded, “So, what’s the weather in Louisiana like this time of year?”

“What?”

“Well I just wanted to know how many jackets I should pack.”

“Wait, you’re coming with me?!” asked Caroline, a wide smile breaking out on her face.

Stefan shrugged, “Care, I don’t think I can stay here, Damon and Elena – well, I still want to get out. Besides, I owe you a lot, and that includes kicking Klaus’ ass if does act like a hybrid dick to you.”

Caroline squealed and hugged him tightly. It felt nice to have somebody looking out for you, and she didn’t mind having a friend with her. She wouldn’t be hiding her feelings for Klaus from this part of her life; she wouldn’t have to feel guilty for anything now.

She was ready, but she’d have to act quickly now. The summer was almost over, after all.

Soft music could be heard throughout the mansion. A jazzy tune, so iconic of the city floated through the rooms, enveloping the three Originals in a soft embrace, relaxing them on that warm night. Well, two were relaxed. One paced frantically in the attic, his mind torn between two paths. Stay here and focus on his kingdom, or go to _her_ and beg for forgiveness.

He stopped in his tracks. What the _fuck_ was he doing? Ever since he had returned, he had thought of nothing but her, any business he had conducted with the witches did not have his full attention, and there was no way he could continue with this. His siblings were right. He really was a fool. He’d never be able to live his life if he never got any closure with her.

Klaus moved in a trance. A jacket was thrown on; keys were clutched tightly in his hand. He bounded down the stairs, poking his head in the living room where Elijah and Rebekah sat reading.

“I’m going to Mystic Falls. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

His words were curt, but he didn’t miss the knowing look passed between the two. Not wanting to waste any more time, he wrenched open his front door and didn’t make it past the threshold before he collided with something soft.

Shaking his head and looking down, all he could see was a head of vibrant blonde hair, and then, the face that had been haunting his dreams.

“Hi, Klaus.”

“ _Caroline…”_

_'Cause even the stars they burn_   
_Some even fall to the earth_   
_We've got a lot to learn_   
_God knows we're worth it_   
_No, I won't give up_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much fun exploring the dynamics of the different relationships between these characters.  
> Chapter title and song lyrics are from "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz


	12. Counting Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I do my best to earn that 'M' rating.

_Old, but I'm not that old_   
_Young, but I'm not that bold_   
_And I don't think the world is sold_   
_I'm just doing what we're told_   
  
_I feel something so right_   
_Doing the wrong thing_   
_I feel something so wrong_   
_Doing the right thing_   
_I could lie, could lie, could lie_   
_Everything that kills me makes me feel alive_

An awkward silence had never lasted so long.

Klaus and Caroline stared each other down, neither willing to believe that the other was really there, in front of them. They’d been at the forefront of each other’s minds for so long; it wouldn’t have been much of a stretch to imagine that they’d both started to hallucinate. After all, why would Caroline suddenly be on his doorstep, right when he wanted to see her? Why would Klaus be the one who opened the door, just when she was frantically imagining what she would say to him?

(As it happened, maybe fate had a bigger hand to play in their lives than they thought.)

The two remained in their silent face-off, neither sure what to say, or who should speak first. Thankfully, their small audience paved the way for them.

“Hi Klaus,” said Stefan cheerfully, standing a little ways behind Caroline. He stepped closer to the door and could make out Elijah and Rebekah coming up behind their brother, with the latter eyeing him interestedly.

“Stefan? Why don’t you both come in?”

It was the mention of Stefan’s name that snapped Klaus out of his stupor, reluctantly tearing his gaze from Caroline’s, he found Stefan’s, who was looking a little wary of his reaction. And for good reason. In the next second, Klaus had Stefan pinned up to the side of the doorframe by the throat, his eyes golden and fangs bared.

An overreaction? Perhaps. But in that moment all Klaus could think was that _Stefan’s_ callous words had planted the seeds of doubt in both his and Caroline’s minds, that _he_ was the one who drove the wedge between them and _he_ was the reason that they had gone without each other for this short length of time.

“You’ve quite brave to face me again,” he snarled, “especially considering your behavior in California, but believe me, I will not be so lenient this time around.” He was ready to lean forward and sink his fangs into the younger vampire’s throat, ignoring Rebekah’s shrieks and Elijah’s attempts to pull him back, but nothing could penetrate his fury.

Well, nothing except _her._

“ _Klaus, please!”_ Her voice pleaded with him, and just like that night in the club alleyway, he hesitated and she took her chance.

“It was _Silas,_ in LA, all summer, Silas has been impersonating Stefan, Stefan’s his doppelganger, _please let him go!”_

His mind reeled in shock. He eyed Stefan’s face carefully, but there was none of that arrogant nonchalance displayed by whoever had stood in front of him weeks ago. _This_ Stefan stared back silently, his eyes honest, and Klaus knew instinctively that he was the Stefan who Caroline had trusted, who was loyal and honest – if a little too broody.

He stepped back, allowing Stefan to fall down in front of him, and Rebekah was at his side in an instant, helping him to his feet.

“What the bloody hell is wrong with you Nik?!” she asked, glaring at him.

“It’s fine Rebekah, I get it, trust me,” said Stefan, rubbing his neck and shooting Klaus a small smile. “Believe me, I get it, I got the whole story.”

Everybody turned to face Caroline, but she had gone back to staring at Klaus, the two of them replaying every harsh word that had been said between them weeks ago.

_‘And all of it for what? An immortal bent of screwing up people’s lives for fun?’_

“Perhaps we should all go inside?” asked Elijah, eyeing the quartet outside the front door. Rebekah kept her arm linked with Stefan’s as they stepped in, and Klaus and Caroline shortly followed, having finally broke eye contact. Caroline looked up at Elijah, relaxing a little at his welcoming smile and she remembered the fears she had once had about whether or not Elijah would like her.

(He wasn’t that scary, now that she properly looked at him. But was he _always_ in a suit?)

An awkward silence settled upon all of them again, no one willing to talk or intrude upon the ‘big talk’ that Klaus and Caroline were inevitably building up to. Then again, they couldn’t do this all night. Elijah sighed, wondering how his brother had ever gotten together with the young woman in the first place if both were so reluctant to begin a conversation and decided that it fell to him to break the ice.

“Would anyone like a drink? Or some food, Stefan, Caroline are either of you hungry? We have some blood stocked in case of emergencies, I’d be happy to get some now.”

“I’d like to hear more about Silas – you’re his doppelganger? How exactly does that work?” asked Rebekah, looking over Stefan worriedly. He gave her a reassuring smile and she softened slightly, before turning back to her oldest brother. “Perhaps we should all move towards the living room?”

“No!”

“I think we’re good!”

Klaus and Caroline broke their silence at the same time, and the other three internally breathed a sigh of relief that they had finally worked up their courage to do so.

“Maybe we could go somewhere and talk?” asked Caroline hopefully, pleading with him, and hoping that he didn’t still hate her.  Klaus nodded, and she felt hope blossom in her chest.

“Come with me sweetheart,” Klaus commanded quietly, and Caroline took his outstretched hand, clutching the bag on her shoulder closer to her and they both started up the ornate staircase, not sparing the others another glance.

“Wait, Miss Forbes,” said Elijah, stepping forward, meeting Caroline’s curious gaze as she looked behind her.

“It’s a pleasure to properly meet you,” he said politely and she gave him a wide smile, sunny and cheerful. In that smile, Elijah could see why his brother had fallen for her. He was still surprised, but pleased. Niklaus needed some light in his life.

Klaus tugged on Caroline’s hand again, and the two made their way up to the second floor. Still milling about the foyer, Stefan, Rebekah and Elijah went into the living room, settling on the plush couches in front of the fireplace.

“So Stefan,” said Elijah, eyeing him intently (and not missing how close Rebekah sat to him on the couch), “tell us more about this doppelganger business…”

* * *

 

The mansion was old and beautiful, and Caroline wished there was more time for her to properly take in the ornate carving of the banister or the paintings that hung on the wall. She didn’t know whether the gorgeous artworks had been stolen, cherry picked by someone with a discerning eye, or painted by Klaus himself. She wasn’t sure what would have been more impressive. He’d always had an eye for beauty.

(And yes, that’s very much a self-given compliment.)

They remained silent as he pulled her through the long corridors, and Caroline lost track of how many doors she had counted. How many rooms could one place have? He probably could’ve housed an entire football team if he wanted – or the inner circle of an army. She clutched his hand a little tighter, remembering his words about the dangers of New Orleans and wondering if any hostile vampires were going to jump out around the corner and try to stake them.

Nothing of the sort happened though, instead, they went deeper into the house until he swung open a mahogany door and led them into a small study. It was lined with books, the covers frayed and musty, and she admired how old the collection must have been.

“How long have you had this house?” she asked, her words a whisper.

“About a century and a half,” he replied, keeping his eyes locked on her, secretly admiring how she explored the room. He had imagined what it would be like, to have her with him in New Orleans, in the heart of his kingdom. There were so many rooms in this house that she would love to explore, or redecorate. Her laughter would echo through the hallways, he would point out which of the paintings were his and which had been stolen; he would dance with her in their bedroom…

But he had to stop this. If he started down this path then there was a good chance he’d lock her in his bedroom and force her to stay, and that wasn’t exactly the best way to go about things.

“How do you like New Orleans?” he asked, trying his damn best to keep his tone casual.

“Oh – it’s beautiful,” she replied, confused by his question.

(Was he purposefully keeping her at arm’s length?)

“I mean, I didn’t get to see much of it,” she added, “we just got in about half an hour ago and took a cab straight here.”

_Straight here._ She had come here with urgency, to see him. Klaus inhaled deeply, even from across the room the scent of vanilla and lilies hit him, a scent so unmistakably _her_ that it made his mouth water.

He shook his head clear before he did anything rash. They stood on opposite sides of his large desk, and he figured it would remain a good buffer for now. Looking her over again, he noticed how tightly she clutched the bag at her side, biting her lip whenever she glanced at it.

“What have you got there, love?” he asked, and she snapped her eyes to his.

“I’ve got – well, it’s something for you, actually. Something that I wanted you to have.”

He raised his eyebrows, intrigued and she opened up the bag, pulling out a thick photo album, coming forward and setting it on the desk.

“Go ahead,” she said nervously. “Open it.”

Klaus reached for the album and flipped it open, the first picture being one of Lake Michigan from what he recognized as the view from the hotel they had stayed in when they visited Chicago. Going through the pictures, he found shots of every place they had visited together, the album organized chronologically. From the shots of St. Louis to the desert in New Mexico, their entire summer had been chronicled.

He stilled at the shot of the kiss he had sneaked at the Grand Canyon. The next few pages of photos detailed their life in California, all beach shots and sunny skies. He realized how much she had photographed him when he wasn’t looking, and he marveled at her ability to capture him unguarded, completely as ease for once in his life.

“This is…quite the compilation,” he said, giving her a soft smile which she returned gratefully.

“I realized when I was going through them at home that you never took any photos during our trip. And I didn’t want – it didn’t seem right.”

“What didn’t seem ‘right’?” he asked, frowning slightly.

“Well, that I had all these memories and you…didn’t,” she said, walking closer. The lamp on the desk cast a soft glow over her skin and he closed his eyes, bombarded with the memories of running his fingers over that silky skin _over and over_ until he had his fill.

(And now all he can do is stare at her like a starving man.)

“I don’t know how you felt about our trip once we…separated. But I know that what happened was important to me, and it was important that I had these pictures to remember it. And then I realized that you didn’t have that…and I thought maybe you’d want it.” She took a deep breath after her little speech, watching him carefully for a reaction.

Klaus remained silent, looking between the album in his hands and the woman standing in front of him. She looked nervous and sad, and he wondered if this little trip was about getting closure on their relationship. They’d never said a proper goodbye after all. His heart constricted at the thought of properly putting whatever they had to rest and parting again, but this time, he wasn’t about to go down without a proper fight.

“Klaus?” she asked, bringing him back to the immediate present. “So…what do you think? I mean I hope you don’t mind or anything, I just thought you’d want this to remember our trip and-“

But before she could even continue, Klaus had flashed to the other side of the desk and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the study and towards a door tucked away at the far end of the hallway. Before she could even ask where they were going, he flung open the door to reveal a narrow staircase, and she was pulled up the rickety wooden stairs, coming to a stop at the top, having been led into a large open attic space. Pieces of furniture were littered against the walls, most covered in heavy white sheets. Deep red, richly patterned rugs lay on the ground haphazardly, but the main points of interest were the dozens of canvases that lay on the floor.

Caroline tiptoed deeper into the attic, her eyes skimming the paintings. There was one of the St. Louis Arch, the steps to the Art Institute in Chicago, the gray skies above a Kansas wheat field. She found a long stretch of desert highway and the fountains in front of the Bellagio hotel. One painting depicted their bedroom in the Santa Monica villa, the sheer white curtains around the bed flowing in the light breeze, partially obscuring the sight of a blonde woman lying asleep, her figure hidden but outlined by the white sheets.

_‘He had painted her.’_

On an easel in the middle of the room, a large canvas showed the sunset over New Mexico, the same sunset he had shown her after that terrible experience in the diner. She remembered it so well. It was his way of proving to her that in a world filled with terrible darkness there was always beauty, and here he had captured that same beauty perfectly.

“These are – this is – I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, not able to tear her eyes off the sunset. “You did all of these in the last few weeks?”

“I haven’t left this attic much,” he admitted with a small shrug, wishing she would turn to face him so that he could see the look on her face. Much to his joy, his wish was fulfilled and she stared at him with an expression filled with hope and awe.

(How things had changed from when she used to stare at him with scorn and derision.)

“I didn’t know if you – I thought you might have wanted to forget everything,” she said quietly, her gaze dropping to the floor.

In a few quick strides, Klaus was in front of her, tilting her chin up, but she kept her eyes downcast.

“Sweetheart, please look at me,” he begged softly.

She met his gaze and their proximity caused a hitch in his breathing. “Caroline…why would I ever want to forget everything we had?”

* * *

 

“So allow me to understand this – Silas has a line of doppelgangers?”

Elijah downed his drink, immediately refilling it. News that the oldest immortal in the world had a doppelganger was as good a reason as any for hard liquor. Stefan and Rebekah reclined on the couch, both looking exhausted from the conversation alone.

“I don’t think it’s a ‘line’ exactly, he said something about nature creating a shadow self so that some version of him could die – look, it’s complicated; he didn’t tell me much before he shoved me in the box.”

Beside him, Rebekah frowned, playing with the hem of her top and avoiding his gaze, though she could feel it on her. They had a lot to talk about, she knew that. She also knew that she was unspeakably glad that he was safe, gladder than she would’ve thought she’d be.

(Caroline Forbes has officially scored brownie points in her books, so many that she might just be okay with the thought of the overly-perky blonde shacking up with her brother. She might invest in some burning sage though.)

“We’ll put the matter to bed for now,” said Elijah, clearly as confused about all of this as they were. “There’s something a little more pressing that I’d like to discuss with you, Stefan.”

Stefan looked across the room at Elijah, wondering what the hell the Original could possibly have to talk to him about. “What’s wrong?” he asked tentatively.

“Oh nothing’s wrong, I just feel compelled to get to know a few things about the young woman who’s got our brother so worked up.”

Rebekah scoffed and Stefan wondered how quickly this conversation could become uncomfortable.

“What – what do you want to know about her?”

“For starters, how long has she been in Mystic Falls?”

Stefan frowned, “Elijah, she’s lived there her entire life. You’ve probably seen her around? Klaus has been chasing after her for about a year now?”

Elijah frowned, looking between his sister and Stefan. “Rebekah, did you know about this?”

She scoffed once more, flipping her hair. “Elijah, everybody knew about it. Mother knew about it. Kol knew about it.”

“Wait, _Kol_ knew about this?! Am I the only one who didn’t know about Niklaus’ infatuation with this young lady?”

Rebekah rolled her eyes. “I’d say just about. You probably would’ve noticed it more but you were too busy flipping a coin to choose which Petrova doppelganger to fawn over.”

Elijah looked completely lost, and poured himself another drink.

* * *

 

“So…you really didn’t want to forget?” Caroline was on the brink of allowing hope to rise up, to think that maybe, just _maybe,_ there was a chance they could both be as happy as they once were. But she wasn’t about to let that happen only to be shot down, so she waited for his answer on pins and needles.

“Love, listen carefully. I could never regret the time we spent together, and I would never be able to forget it. God knows I’ve tried – all these paintings, I thought that if I got my memories on canvas I’d be able to stop reliving them continually, but all that did was amplify them. I couldn’t forget you if I tried.”

His words were earnest, he cupped her jaw and hoped beyond reason that she believed him.

Caroline carefully took a few steps back, not trusting that she wouldn’t rush into this little reunion without them saying what was needed. “Wait…I’m confused, you just said you didn’t want to forget, but you admitted to trying. Which one is it, Klaus?”

He sighed, running a hand through his curls. “I tried because it was too painful to go on the way I was. Every minute I thought of you, I saw you in everything. I never _wanted_ to forget you, but I thought I _had_ to if I had any hope of living an existence not completely filled with pain. I quickly found out that was impossible though. My memory of you would not be so easily done away with, and I was on my way to see you when you turned up on my doorstep.”

She held her breath all through his speech, realizing how much of an impact she had had on him. But then, was it any less of an impact that he had on her? They had both changed each other’s lives, and there was no going back from that.

But how did they go forward?

“Okay, so no one’s forgetting anything – glad we got that cleared up,” she said with a small smile. He remained silent and Caroline got the feeling he didn’t really know where to go from here so she took the initiative to tell him about her time apart from him.

“Look, I think I realized a few things too. When I got back to Mystic Falls-“

(Did she imagine it, or did he flinch at the name of her home town?)

“-I realized how miserable I was going to be if I just continued on living in that town because of some imagined obligation to it. And my friends…I couldn’t keep quiet about what happened, so I came clean. Elena, Damon, my Mom, and Matt – I told all of them about you and what we had together. I told them how much you meant to me.”

Klaus took a step back himself, shocked. The opinion of her friends meant the world to her, he knew that, and to think that she had told them about him, the enemy…

“I didn’t think you would,” he said, his confusion evident. “Honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed you in the end. They can’t have taken the news well.”

“Well, Elena and Damon didn’t,” said Caroline with a small frown, remembering their hostility. “But Matt and my mom were more understanding, and Stefan gave me some pretty good advice!”

“You’ll have to fill me in on that one later,” he said with a small smirk.

“Oh I will, believe me. But my point is, I thought I’d hide it too. I thought I’d go home and not say a word about it to anybody, but the guilt was eating me alive. I didn’t want you to be some secret shame – the time I spent with you is the happiest I’ve _ever_ been.”

He felt his breath taken away at the thought of him being the one to give someone like her so much joy. For a thousand years, he had done nothing but reign down absolute terror on most that crossed his path, but for the first time he realized that somebody found him capable of causing happiness.

(And if he could, he would make her happy every day if she let him.)

“That was the worst part about this trip, you know,” she said, looking away from him and back at the bevy of paintings, “the guilt.”

“You were guilty about going away with me?” He figured that would be the root of her problem, at the end of the day, he was the enemy and running away with him was bound to cause her some issues.

She shook her head vehemently, hoping she hadn’t completely messed this up. “No, God _no,_ that’s not it at all! Haven’t you been paying attention? You made me _happy._ ”

“But you just admitted to being crushed by guilt?”

“Because we did this in _secret,”_ she stressed, hoping he finally saw her point. “I’m happy I went with you, but I didn’t tell a soul where I was going or who I was going with. And by doing it like that, it felt like I was running away in the night.”

“Technically we did run away in the night, love,” he said, unable to resist the quip.

She rolled her eyes, but didn’t lose the small smile on her face. “Ha-ha, can we concentrate?”

He nodded seriously and she continued. “My point is, we made it seem like we were doing something dirty and shameful, and that’s not something I ever wanted out of a relationship. I want to be able to be openly happy, not just across the country or the world, but in my hometown, around my friends. I mean _they_ probably wouldn’t be too thrilled, but I wouldn’t be lying to them, you know?”

Klaus nodded slowly, beginning to see where she was going, and it was in a direction that made him _very_ happy. “You weren’t ashamed of me sweetheart?” he asked quietly.

(He had had a thousand years to deal with people being ashamed of him.)

Caroline shook her head again and flashed in front of him, taking his hands in hers. “Klaus, if I was ashamed of anything, it was my own actions. I treated you like some dirty little secret and then pushed you away when I couldn’t deal with that. It was never about you, I knew how I felt about you.”

Klaus felt the gravity of her words, but knew it was his time to interject.

“Sweetheart, you’re not the only one at fault here. _I’m_ a thousand years old, _I_ should have been more understanding. You’re so young, Caroline, it’s no surprise that you would want the comfort of your home and loved ones. I’m the one who threw that in your face, and for that, I’m sorry.”

She gulped down a breath at his words, his eyes displaying the utmost sincerity.

_‘Well what do you know? I got the Big Bad Hybrid to say ‘sorry’’_

“Your best friend died,” he continued, his heart clenching at the pain that flashed across her face. He squeezed her hands a little tighter. “Bonnie died, and all I could think about was getting back to my kingdom. Which, by the way, I’m having an incredible amount of trouble concentrating on.”

She laughed a little at that, and it felt good to relieve some of that tension. “What’s wrong, not been feeling the evil dictator vibe lately?”

“Well, it just so happens that every time I step out onto the street, I feel the urge to follow every blonde head of hair I see. It’s all very distracting.” His tone lightened considerably and she felt her heart swell.

“My point is, Caroline, you’re old and I’m young-“

“Careful, you’re going to make it sound creepy!”

“As I was saying _love,_ ” he continued, glaring at her in mock sternness, “we have very, _very_ different perspectives on life. And that’s fine, as I’ve realized, as long as I manage to remember that. Which I will, from now on, I promise.”

“You don’t care that our ‘different perspectives’ caused me to run away home? You don’t think I ‘betrayed’ you?” she asked, worried again at what his answer might be. She can hear Stefan’s words about Klaus’ abandonment issues ringing in her head.

He actually chuckled, which she took as a good sign. “I was…foolish, as my siblings would say. I was also incredibly angry – you were leaving me, and maybe I did see it as betrayal at the time but I had no right to. You’re loyal to your friends, and you have to know how much I admire you for that. I just wish…I _hope_ that one day you’ll be as loyal to me.”

Caroline smiled up at him, “I _am_ loyal to you, Klaus,” she said earnestly. “Or at least – I know that I want to be.”

She wanted to be loyal to _him._ He could swear his heart skipped a beat. He could see her standing by his side, the old dream resurfacing of her as his queen, the light to his darkness, forever by his side.

“So, what now, love?” he asked, and the question may be a loaded one but he knows that no matter what her answer is, nothing could dampen his spirits. One way or another, he had hope that they could figure this out.

“Well, now I guess we figure out what the future holds,” she said with a small shrug, stepping a little closer to him, and she closed her eyes briefly, inhaling his scent and relishing in the warmth he radiated.

“And how do we do that?” he asked, “Do we pick up where we left off?”

She frowned slightly and shook her head. “No, I say we do things a little differently. Do you remember what you said to me on the Santa Monica pier? That we should build our own world?”

He nodded and she smiled. “Well, that was the easy way out – we can’t do that again. If we build up our own little bubble, eventually somebody or something will come along and pop it and what if we end up in the same place we were back in LA? Scared and confused and hurt and ultimately pushing each other away?”

He growled slightly, his grip on her hands tightening. “That won’t happen again, sweetheart, I can promise you that.”

 “Exactly. Because we’re not building our own world, we’re going to learn to exist in each other’s. It’ll be hard work, but I think it’ll be worth it.”

Klaus dipped his head so that his breath ghosted over her face, “Love, I _gurantee_ it’ll be worth it in the end. And you’re here now – where do we start?”

She smirked. “Well I came here for my future… and for you. So I say we start right _here._ ”

She reached up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. He reacted instantly, letting go of her hands to wind his arms around her waist and widened his mouth, his tongue battling with hers with for dominance. She let her own hands travel up the hard panes of his chest, sighing into the kiss as she let herself remember what it was like to know him so intimately.

(The week they had been apart, her dreams had definitely not helped her separation issues.)

With a growl, he pulled away from her, his eyes darkened with lust. Grabbing her hand he yanked her over to a couch against the wall and tore away the sheet covering it, pinning her to the soft leather cushions a moment later. With a few tugs, her shirt was done away with and she eagerly reciprocated the gesture. He knelt up to tug the fabric over his head and looked down with a smug smile as he watched her eyes eagerly roam over his chest, her hand coming up to trace the tattoos there.

He trapped her hand on his chest beneath his own, positioning it directly over his beating heart.

“God I’ve missed you, Caroline, you have no idea,” he said, his voice husky and she gave a stuttered breath.

“Why don’t you show me?” she muttered, reaching up to entangle her fingers in his necklaces and pulled him back to her for another heated kiss. He growled, letting his hands reach for the front of her bra where he tore the garment in two and flung it away, rolling and massaging her breasts with expert skill, plucking at her hardened nipples.

She let out a low moan and arched her chest into his touch. Her eyes, which had closed in the pure feeling of bliss, opened just in time to see him smirk at her before lowering his mouth to let his tongue circle one of her nipples, taking his time before on to the other one. While that had her sufficiently distracted, one of his hand wandered lowering across the smooth skin of her stomach until he reached the hem of her jean.

Deftly, he popped the button, and Caroline barely had time to register what he intended to do before her vision flipped and she was sitting upright on the couch, Klaus on his knees on the floor in front of her, nestled snugly between her legs. Her jeans were pulled off quickly and he ran his teeth along the lace edge of her panties before tearing those away too.

“Tell me love, did you miss me too?” he asked, his voice a low, seductive melody.

She could only whimper in response to his mouth being so close to where she needed him most, and he tut-tutted, brushing his lips against her upper thigh.

“Not good enough, sweetheart, I’ll be awfully disappointed if I find out you haven’t been _craving_ this as much as I have.” Teasingly, he ran his finger between her thighs, parting her slick folds and finding the little bundle of nerves that would set her on edge. She nearly shot of the couch at his nimble fingers and it was only the hard grip he had on one of her legs that kept her firmly planted down.

Her breathing was shallow, and she could barely form a coherent sentence that wasn’t just _“Klaus, please!”_ Still, she managed to open her eyes and meet his heady stare, gulping at the intensity.

“I’ve wanted this every night since we fought. _Every single night._ Now, are you going to do something about that, or am I going to have to take care of myself?”

Her words were all the challenge he needed and with a growl he replaced his fingers with his tongue, laving his tongue along the wet folds like a starving man who could never be satisfied.

(And he never would be. When it came to her, he doubted he would ever get enough.)

Caroline felt his tongue circle her clit and bucked her hips, desperate for the release that she could feel fast approaching, her hands burying in his hair and holding him against her. She was close, she was _so close…_

And then he was gone.

“What the _fuck?!”_ she screeched, but didn’t have much time to see where he was because he was pushing her back into the sofa, having divested with the rest of his clothes and she shamelessly let her eyes roam over his length, just as impressive as she had remembered it.

“So sorry love, but I’ve been waiting too, and we do have our entire future together after all.” With that, he sunk into her and she let out a low moan, relishing in the feeling of being filled so completely.

(In the back of her mind, it occurs to her that they had barely been separated for two weeks, and if she could barely handle that….well, it looked as if they really were going to spend the rest of eternity together.)

He moved his hips at an agonizing pace, and she screamed, the sound muffled by his kiss. He moved his mouth to plant hot kisses down her neck, over her chest and as they both found their release, he buried his teeth in her shoulder. Familiar with their pattern, she sank her own fangs into his neck and the euphoria of her orgasm mixed with blood-sharing nearly knocked her out. Panting, they lay ensconced in each other, Klaus pulling up the sheet on the floor to cover their bodies.

“I hope that didn’t tire you out tremendously love. I’ve got quite a bit to make up for.”

* * *

 

A little earlier, four stories down, three vampires had sat in distinct awkwardness. If the low moans were anything to go by, there was a pretty good chance they knew exactly where the night was going for the two blondes in the attic, and nobody had any desire to stick around.

“So…what’ve you been up to?” Stefan asked Rebekah, trying his best to focus on the sounds of the city outside.

“Oh, I went to Europe with Matt actually,” she said, biting her lip as she awaited his reaction.

“Matt, really?” he asked thinking back to everything he knew about Rebekah and Matt. She’d expressed an interest at him at one point, he remembered.

“So are the two of you….” He trailed off, not entirely sure how to finish that sentence, and Rebekah shook her head with a soft smile.

“No, he made it clear we were just going as close friends for a summer. He wanted to remain a human and I had to respect that.”

“That’s – that’s really good of you,” Stefan said, giving her a warm smile.

“Thanks,” she said, “What about you? How’re you and Elena doing?”

Stefan grimaced. “Elena and Damon are sort of figuring things out. She…she made her choice.”

“I’m sorry,” said Rebekah with a small frown, but Stefan waved her off.

“Believe me, I had two months in a safe in the bottom of a lake to think about it. And I realized…it was all fine. I couldn’t do it anymore, the push and pull. I needed to get out.”

“So, what’re you going to do now?”

“Now? Well I just wanted to come with Caroline to make sure Klaus didn’t act like a dick around her, but I’m pretty sure she’s doing fine.

They both flinched at a distinctly female cry coming from upstairs and quickly refocused on each other.

“Well you know, Nik has quite the temper. You might have to stick around to see that he doesn’t fly off the handle at her for something stupid.”

Stefan laughed a little, “You should give him some credit, I think he’ll be fine. But…I might stick around. I like New Orleans.”

“You should,” said Rebekah quickly. Realizing she might sound a little too eager, she composed herself and inspected her nails. “I mean, if you’d like, I know some good spots in this city. If you’d like, I could show you around.”

“Yeah, I would like that,” said Stefan softly and they stayed in silence for a moment before Elijah came back into the living room, having apparently had enough of trying to ignore the reunion going on upstairs.

“We might have to escape to one of those ‘good spots’ now, Rebekah, before they really get carried away. Come on, we’re leaving.”

“We’re kicking ourselves out?” whined Rebekah. “Elijah, we live here too!”

“Yes, well, that’s not going to matter to them, so I suggest we make ourselves scarce for our own sakes.”

Stefan grimaced, “You know what, I’m with him, let’s go.”

“But it’s almost the middle of the night!”

Elijah rolled his eyes and escorted his sister out the front door. “We’re Originals, Rebekah, I’m sure the bars on Bourbon Street will be more than accommodating.”

* * *

 

The high French windows in the attic let in the first rays of dawn, illuminating the darkened attic. On the couch against the wall, Klaus and Caroline lay in each other’s embrace enjoying the early morning silence.

“I’ve missed this too you know,” Caroline admitted quietly. “I mean, I missed a lot of what we did, especially what we did last night-“

She lifted her head from his chest to kiss the smirk he wore and continued.

“-but I also missed waking up to you. I had gotten so used to it.”

Klaus ran his knuckles up and down her spine, leaning his head down to kiss her hair. “Believe me, it hasn’t been easy for me either. At some point, I think I just took to not sleeping.”

Wrapping his arm around her waist, he splayed his hand on the small of her back pressing her even closer to him. “But believe me love, that’s not going to be a problem anymore. I’m not letting you go now. Never again.”

His words were dead serious with his declaration and she shivered, enjoying how he held her even tighter. “Well, that’s good,” she said, pressing a soft kiss to his chest, “because I’m here to stay.”

He let out a soft contented sigh at her words. Drowsily, she laid her head back on his chest and closed her eyes, allowing herself to imagine what it would be like with him now.

“You right, you know. Way back when I first asked you to take me on this trip – we would never just be a fling.”

He nodded, playing with the ends of her curls. “If there was one line I regretted from fight, it was that. I meant what I said when I told you I intended to be your last love.”

She grinned, keeping her eyes closed and thought back to the past three months. It had felt like a whirlwind summer romance, but she wanted so much more than that. She wanted to stroll hand in hand under trees with red leaves in autumn, she wanted to curl up with him in front of the fireplace in winter. She wanted to kiss him when the flowers bloomed in spring. Caroline knew that one summer would never be enough for them – they were in this for the long haul.

One way or another, they’d make it work.

“Oh, there’s one thing I need to do though,” she said, leaning up and biting her lip.

“What is it love?” he asked concernedly.

“Well, before I came here, I told my Mom what I was doing and Stefan came with me so there were no secrets or anything – but I still wasn’t sure if I was going to be here permanently, so I didn’t exactly pack everything I’d need to move, and if I’m going to move into the Tulane dorms-“

“The dorms? You’re still set on those?”

“Damn straight,” she said, poking his chest. “Don’t worry, you can visit.”

He rolled his eyes but grinned anyway, capturing her lips in a quick kiss. “What did you need to do though?”

“Okay, don’t freak out or anything,” she said hesitantly, “but I’ll need to go back to Mystic Falls. Just to pick up my things though!”

He laughed and wrapped both his arms around her, bringing her back down to him.

“Don’t worry about it love. We can go back this weekend. I’ll drive you.”

_Lately I’ve been, I’ve been losing sleep_   
_Dreaming about the things that we could be_   
_But Baby, I’ve been, I’ve been prayin' hard_   
_Said no more counting dollars_   
_We'll be counting stars_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was the last full chapter! I remember how much I enjoyed writing this fic, way back last summer, it was such a great experience.  
> Chapter title and song lyrics are from 'Counting Stars' by OneRepublic


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One short piece to wrap things up.

“Are you just about packed then?”

Caroline zipped up her suitcase and faced Elijah, who was leaning against the doorframe. She noticed his smirk upon seeing the three suitcases she had laid out on the bed, and blushed slightly. Preparing for a summer vacation to the City of Love required an extensive wardrobe; you couldn’t blame a girl for preparing.

“That was the last of them!” she chirped, dragging all three suitcases off the bed.

“Let me help you those,” Elijah offered courteously, and came forward to grab two of her bags. “I wanted to say a proper goodbye before you and Niklaus flew off.”

Caroline smiled widely, feeling a rush of affection for the oldest Mikaelson. He was a good guy to have around and on your side; easily countering Klaus and Rebekah’s impulsivity, his calm and level-headed nature often smoothed out whatever disagreement cropped up in the household.

(And with three Originals under one roof, there were _a lot_ of disagreements.)

Over the past ten months or so, Caroline had gotten to know Elijah pretty well, after her and Klaus had settled into a tentative relationship, he had seemed quite determined to know her better; ‘welcome her into the family’ as he had put it. She’d been thrilled. Klaus had been suspicious. Rebekah had been irritated at being ordered to show up to dinner every Sunday night, and Stefan just wondered why nobody had rolled out the welcome wagon for _him_.

(Needless to say, those first few Sunday dinners were very interesting. But eventually, they all got into the spirit of it – even if Rebekah and Klaus still complained.)

Elijah took her bags to the hallway but paused and looked back at her. “It’s going to be odd to have the house so empty while you and Niklaus are gone,” he said, a little sadly. “I fear it’s going to be too quiet.”

“We’ll miss you too Elijah,” she said with a smile, “but you’ll have Rebekah and Stefan around, won’t you?”

“Not if they end up going to Mystic Falls next week. Stefan did say something about wanting to speak to his brother again. I suppose the peace will be worth losing four roommates.”

“Technically, I don’t live here!” Caroline said quickly. It was a weak argument at this point considering she had taken over one of the expansive guest rooms after she’d finished her first year in the dorms at Tulane, but she’d insisted that was just because it was easier to store her stuff in New Orleans than shipping it back to Mystic Falls for a few months. Besides, she and Klaus were leaving for the summer, so she would barely have any time to actually _live_ in the mansion – but that was what she wanted. She had eternity after all; there was no need to be the girl who rushed things with her boyfriend.  Not that he saw it that way, of course.

(“Caroline, your dorm room is the size of a shoebox, I don’t know why you don’t just stay at the mansion and –“

“Because it’s _my_ shoebox and I like it! And could you please stop breaking in through the window when you visit?”)

Bringing herself back to the present, Caroline refocused on Elijah, who was watching her with an amused smile. “If nothing else, if you were here permanently he might be less… ‘on edge’. He worries about you constantly, you know.”

“He’s too overprotective,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “He should learn to lighten up.”

“Perhaps,” he said thoughtfully. “But for what it’s worth, my brother’s homicidal tendencies have lessened slightly – what’s that for?” he asked in response to her skeptical gaze.

“Elijah, did I, or did I not come home last week to Sophie Devereux ranting about how Klaus had killed another witch because he thought they were plotting against him?”

Elijah sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Well, he’s not perfect. But believe me when I tell you that he’s better. _You_ make him better.”

Caroline blushed and looked away, grateful for the compliment even if she didn’t know how much she believed it. “It works both ways, Elijah,” she said quietly. “He makes me better too.”

And it was true, when she stopped to think about it. She was happier, more confident. She’d always thought that she was the one out of her friends to accept being a vampire, but after the last year, she realized that she had finally become _comfortable_ with it. And that had scared her, initially. But Klaus had been there, and he’d understood, and at the time it had meant the world to know that no one would judge her, shun her, or try to change her.

Yeah. It definitely went both ways.

Elijah was picking up her suitcases again and she followed suit. “Whatever you do for each other, I’m glad to see you both happy. I can’t believe you actually talked him into leaving for an entire summer, how did you manage that?”

Caroline smirked to herself. “Well, I might have brought up some old promises he made ages ago to take me away. He caved pretty easily.”

What she didn’t add was that she had chosen a couple of weeks ago when they were both in bed to bring up those promises, but Elijah didn’t need to know the details of how she’d gone about that. Still, he seemed to realize that something was missing because he turned back to her with a dubious look.

“That’s all you had to do? Nothing else?”

She smirked. “Elijah, do you _really_ want the answer to that?”

(Let it be known that that was the only time Elijah Mikaelson had ever _blushed._ )

“Still, I didn’t think Niklaus would ever feel comfortable leaving his ‘kingdom’ for any length of time.”

“Well, I can’t promise that he won’t show up suddenly at three in the morning due to separation anxiety, but I’ll do my best.”

Elijah chuckled, and together, the two resumed their way towards the large staircase.

* * *

 

“Did I really need to see that?”

Klaus leant against the archway leading into the large kitchen, smirking while watching with great amusement as Stefan and his sister pulled away hurriedly. Stefan had the good sense to take a step back from Rebekah, though he looked smug, while Rebekah just looked ready to kill.

“Nik, must you be ass?” she asked in a low growl. It only served to widen his grin, irritating his sister while her and Stefan rekindled their romance was always a joy. Though Caroline had reprimanded him on more than one occasion, he never took it to heart. Besides, despite his annoyances, Stefan and Rebekah had found their happiness. Begrudgingly, he allowed himself to admit that he wasn’t completely opposed to the idea.

Rebekah scowled at him for a moment longer. “Considering how you and Caroline act, I’d say we’re quite entitled to behave however we’d like,” she said, with a flip of her hair. “Aren’t you supposed to be on your way anyhow?”

Klaus nodded. “I’m just waiting for Caroline to finish packing, she’ll be done soon.”

“You guys need a ride to the airport?” asked Stefan.

Klaus nodded, “Thanks mate, I was just about to call a cab.” The gesture was thoughtful, and though he was inclined to believe it was offered out of Stefan’s friendship for Caroline, his relationship with the Salvatore had also improved slightly over the year. Granted, they’d never be the same kind of friends they’d once been…but they were civil. And that counted for something. Besides, if he showed any hostility towards Stefan, Caroline and Rebekah would never have forgiven him.

The three made their way outside down the path towards Stefan’s car, Klaus taking in a deep breath of the Louisiana air. He already felt a slight sense of homesickness, even though they would undoubtedly be returning within two months. Still, he knew a break would be good. The past ten months had solidified his position in his city, the witches had successfully banded together and backed his coup and Marcel’s forces had been slowly diminished to a farce of what they once were. The Steward had fallen and the rightful King had taken back the throne.

Of course, if the King’s Queen asked for a short trip to Paris, then a vacation was in order.

“So, two months?” asked Rebekah, leaning against the car. “I suppose it’ll be good to get rid of you.”

“Be sure to mind your manners Bekah, I _always_ know what’s going on,” replied Klaus with a dark grin. His sister remained unfazed, simply shooting a smirk at Stefan, who chuckled.

Their attention was diverted when Elijah and Caroline came through the front door, the latter giving advice on what they should be doing in Paris.

“Now, I know Niklaus prefers the Musee d’Orsay because he thinks the Louvre is too crowded, but be sure to spend at least a day there. Spend some time in the countryside too, it’s beautiful.”

“Thanks Elijah, I’ll remember that,” Caroline replied, giving him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. Turning, she saw Klaus coming up the drive, his brow furrowed. No matter how many times she reassured him, she knew he’d always be a little jealous when her attention was directed at anybody other than him, and she suspected that Elijah was a particular sore spot. A thousand years of insecurity didn’t go away over such a short span of time, she reminded herself.

Beaming, she zipped towards him, squealing when he grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. Leaning her head down, she kissed him, feeling his grip tighten and she pulled back, smiling as he pecked her quickly on the lips and set her on her feet.

“God, you two are sickening, you know that?” Rebekah’s voice jolted them from their moment, and she strolled towards the couple, linking her arm through Caroline’s and pulling her towards the car.

“Now, seeing as how you’re giving me a Niklaus free summer, I think it’s only fair I give you some tips. There’s a boutique at the intersection of the Champs-Elysees and Rue de Berri, go in there and mention my name, they will roll out every design debuted during Fashion Week, including the ones that are supposed to be one of a kind.”

“All of that, just by mentioning your name?” asked Caroline, impressed.

“No compulsion necessary,” Rebekah replied with a proud smile. The two girls had formed a tentative friendship during the past few months, despite everything that had happened between them, Klaus had been right – they did have a lot in common. And it was nice to have somebody to shop with.

“Try to make sure he doesn’t end up running back here by Friday,” said Stefan, coming up and giving her a tight hug.

“Have some faith,” she said rolling her eyes, knowing that the state of New Orleans was exactly what Klaus was talking about with Elijah right at that moment.

“Brother, I trust you can take care of the city while I’m gone?” asked Klaus with a sly smile as he helped Elijah with Caroline’s bags.

“New Orleans will be fine for the summer Niklaus, try to enjoy yourself, won’t you?”

“Oh, you can be sure of that,” Klaus replied, looking fondly at Caroline.

Elijah followed his brother’s gaze and hid a small smile. Klaus shook off the look of endearment and turned back to his older brother.

“Now, don’t be afraid to use drastic measures if the witches act up again, the Devereuxs think they’ve got most of them in line but I don’t trust some of the wilder ones. Good luck brother.” He clapped Elijah on the shoulder and the two of them loaded every suitcase into the car’s trunk.

After the car was loaded, and Stefan had climbed in the driver’s seat, Klaus and Caroline said their final goodbyes to Elijah and Rebekah before settling in the backseat.

“So…Paris?” Caroline asked, turning to Klaus with a shy smile.

“Paris,” he answered, lacing their hands together and leaning towards her to give her a kiss.

“Still here!” said Stefan, and they both rolled their eyes.

Turning towards the window, Caroline watched New Orleans roll by, keeping Klaus’ hand in hers. They could save their affection for later, she didn’t mind. The rest of the summer, the rest of the year, the rest of the decade – they had a long road ahead of them.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are at the end of the road! Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed yourselves.


End file.
